Dining on the California Zephyr
Railway dining type cars for the use of passengers were first
operated by the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad
(which became part of the Pennsylvania) between Philadelphia and
Baltimore in 1863. Remodeled day coaches, 50 feet in length,
there were two of these cars, each fitted with an eating bar,
steam box, and "other fixtures usually found in a first-class
restaurant." The food was prepared at the terminal station and
placed on the cars immediately before the trains departed. These
primitive "dining cars" remained in operation for about three
years.
George M. Pullman, in 1867, then introduced "hotel
cars" (sleeping cars equipped with kitchen and dining
facilities), the first three of which were the President, the
Western World, and the Kalamazoo. The first Pullman-built car
devoted entirely to restaurant purposes was the Delmonico,
operated in 1868 on the Chicago & Alton Railroad (which became
part of the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio).
Dining cars on the
California Zephyr were a far cry from those early variations of
cars equipped with a steam box and fitted with an eating bar.
Dining cars for the CZ were designed to serve an average of
58,000 meals per month. To do that, each diner starting out on
its run was equipped with 800 individual pieces of chinaware;
350 individual glasses, from shot glasses to parfaits: 1,200
pieces of silverware; and nearly 150 miscellaneous items such as
thermos bottles, wooden salad bowls, casseroles, flower bases,
etc. During the trip some 2,500 separate items of linen were
used. The 275 individual grocery items stocked ranged from
deluxe sirloin steak to pickles. All of this stock and
equipment, except the linens, had to be stored in the kitchen
and pantry, an area measuring 30 feet long by 7 feet wide, which
also included the range, boiler, four refrigerators, deep
freeze, fish well, dish and glass washing machines, automatic
toaster, coffee urn, and storage lockers for dry supplies. With
all this placed in a compact unit, the four cooks were left to
work in an area 20 feet long by 30 inches wide with the seven
waiters working out of a pantry 10 feet long by 40 inches wide.
There were very good reasons why the California Zephyr's
diner was one of the most popular dining cars ever. The food was
a veritable gourmet's delight, and those who prepared and served
the food took a special interest in pleasing their guests.
Each California Zephyr diner was manned for an entire trip
across the country eastbound and westbound between Oakland and
Chicago by a crew from one of the three railroads who operated
the train. A Burlington crew may have been aboard for one trip,
a D&RGW crew the next, followed by a crew entirely made up of WP
dining car employees on the next trip out.
The California
Zephyr dining-car pool employed 216 stewards, cooks, and
waiters, which made up twelve crews, four from each of the three
railroads. Every crew was responsible at any time to the
superintendent over whose railroad the train was operating at
that time. The service had to be uniform so every crew in the
pool worked under rules which were provided in a manual known as
CZ Bulletin No. 2. Every known question in the operation of the
dining and buffet cars—from where to light the kitchen range
pilot light to the serving of a deluxe Italian dinner—was
answered in the bulletin.
Each dining car and every chef
in the pool was furnished with a recipe book containing some 280
pages and 525 recipes. New recipes were added as they were
tested and found favorable for the discriminating tastes of the
travelers about the train. But all these regulations, recipes,
and service instructions would not produce results unless they
were put to practical application with the whole-hearted
cooperation of the employees to whom they were issued.
Obviously, special training was required to serve some 200
deluxe dinners each night with a variety of items—dinners about
which the passengers often talked about long after they had
reached their destinations.
To provide this training,
Harold G. Wyman, WP's superintendent of dining cars, conducted
an annual instruction class for Western Pacific crews during
which examinations and service refresher courses were given. U.
S. Public Health Department pictures covering the requirements
of an interstate carrier were also shown. The classes lasted an
entire day and were enthusiastically supported by the employees
and their organizations. As a feature of each class the
commissary would serve a luncheon between the morning and
afternoon sessions which these railroaders who would spend their
time preparing and serving food looked forward to. Dining-car
crews of the other two railroads over which the California
Zephyr operated attended similar classes.
Dining car
service exemplified the dedication of Western Pacific and its
employees in the quest to provide first class service to the
passengers riding the Zephyr. In testament to this challenging
task the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare on May 16,
1967 informed Western Pacific that the dining car service had
earned a Public Health Service Grade A placard for the fifth
year in a row. This was an award not to be taken lightly.
Inspections came unannounced and were very thorough. With
flashlights in hand the inspectors checked every nook and cranny
of the dining cars. Nothing was left unnoticed as the inspector
checked food storage areas, cooking facilities and cleanliness
of the china and utensils. At the end of the inspection
suggestions for improvement were presented to the appropriate
personnel although for Western Pacific this was a short list.
This health safety award had also been earned in 1959.
Famous for superb meals the dining car offered gracious service,
reasonable prices and an atmosphere of congeniality that put you
in an ideal mood to enjoy the culinary treats expertly prepared
and served. Coupled between the vista-domed-lounge-buffet car
and the 6-5 sleeper, dinner was on a reservation basis, so
passengers would not have to stand in line waiting for service.
Advance selection of a dining hour was suggested for each
passenger. The Zephyrette would pass through the train each
afternoon and inquire as to reservation requests for that
evening. Reservations were not required for breakfast or lunch
in the dining car.
The chef of a WP diner planed his
day's meals, and before the first breakfast order was given, he
had luncheon and dinner menus well along in the process of
preparation. In the dining car proper, five to seven waiters
laid the tables with fresh linen, silver and glasses, filled the
water bottles and gave the car that spick and span Western
Pacific look. As the passengers entrained at a station the
dining car crew watched them and not from mere idle curiosity
either. For from long years on the same run the good dining car
crew studied the taste of the traveler, so that before the
dinner call was sounded, your own pet dish was often already on
the fire, ordered by a waiter who had served you before. Early
on the run a checkup was made of through passengers so that the
chef would know the probable number of meals he had to prepare.
Rivaling restaurants in any city meal offerings available to
passengers began with a full breakfast menu. Eight full
offerings were available to start the day. These included a
Breakfast Steak or Sugar-Cured Ham both served with two eggs,
Shirred Eggs with Sausage, Poached Eggs on a Toasted English
Muffin with Canadian Bacon, Browned Corned Beef Hash with a
Poached Egg, an Omelette with Cheese, Ham or Jelly, and of
course Cereal both cooked and dry. All offerings included a
choice of Fruit, Fruit Juice or Cereal with Toast or Bran
Muffins and a Beverage. Hashed Brown Potatoes were available on
request. Additionally, A la Carte items of Fruit, Fruit Juices,
Cereals, other Entrees, Toast, Muffins, and Beverages were
available.
Midday lunch offerings included Filet of Fish
with Cole Slaw, Family Style Chicken Pie, and Chopped Sirloin
Steak with Brown Gravy. Soup or Juice, Vegetable, Dessert and
Beverage where included in the price. Sandwich Plates included a
Hamburger on a Toasted Bun, Potato Chips, and Cole Slaw or a Hot
Chicken Sandwich served with Whipped Potatoes and Cranberry
Jelly. A la Carte items were available, as were selections for
children under 12 years of age.
Featured dinner meals
included delicacies such as Boneless Rocky Mountain Brook Trout,
Roast Loin of Pork, Southern Fried Chicken, Roast Top Sirloin of
Beef, Broiled Sirloin Steak, Crab Louie, Abalone Steaks, Broiled
French Lamb Chops on Toast all served with dinner rolls,
vegetables, potatoes, and beverage. Cocktails, Liquors, and a
wide selection of California Wines, available at extra charge
were offered to compliment the meals offered. Parents were
allowed to share their meals with children with no charge or
purchase half portions offered on the select dinner menu at half
price. Plate Dinners, A la Carte items, and selections for
children under 12 were also presented for passengers’ perusal.
A romantic touch of old Italy was added to the pleasurable
offerings available to dining car patrons during the dinner hour
in 1955. Five full course Italian dinner meals served with
California wine became available for the first time on any
transcontinental train for travelers who enjoyed continental
food at its best. Special menus were prepared which included
such tasty delights as Veal Scaloppini a la Parmesan, Chicken
Cacciatore, and other dishes specially prepared with real
Italian flavoring. Each passenger ordering an Italian dinner was
also given his or her choice of a bottle of California Sauterne,
Burgundy or Rose wine. Items complimentary to the dinner
selections included antipasto, minestrone, tossed green salad
with olive oil dressing, ravioli, and spaghetti. Other
appetizing foods to complete the dinner included toasted garlic
rolls, potatoes, vegetables du jour, a choice of cheeses,
toasted wafers, Marsala wine, and a nut sundae with wafers. All
items on the Italian menu were in addition to those available on
the regular dinner menu.
Any of the days meals ordered
for service outside of the dining car incurred additional
charges and were subject to delay when the dining car was busy.