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The Ice Cream Train

IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE that, to learn fy both of our markets — a high-end dining what’s new in dinner train operations , one event that involves the entire family . What need only check in with Bob Andrews, Chief we came up with is the Ice Cream Train. Operating Officer of the Newport Dinner “Newport entertains over three million Train in Newport, Rhode Island. The guy is visitors eac h year, and that’ s just between a 24/7 idea mac hine. And if you know Bob , June and September . We’ve tailored our you know he’s that rare individual in the in- schedule to that cycle. The train will operate dustry who is first and fore- most a restaurant guy, with his restaurant set on a mov- ing train in a vacationer’ s hot spot. So he seems to think “food first.” It w as little surprise , then, to hear from Bob re- cently about a new venture he launched on June 8 —the Ice Cream Train. I’ll let him explain it: [email protected] “In this economy, we were looking for ways to boost rid- www.melvinphotos.com ership. We’ve learned over the years that in a tight economy, people ma y cut Classicrailroadvideos.com back on buying things at the high end, like a fine dining Carolina Shortlines experience, but they seldom cut down on family activi- ties. So we went in search of something that would satis- Railroad’s Glory Daayys

In St. Paul Union Depot, John W. Diers brings to life the sights and sounds and Enjoy lines such as the Aberdeen & Rockfish, Laurenburg & Southern, Nash County, Yadkin the behind-the-scenes Valley and more. 100 minutes. inner workings of what was Color, sound, narration. $30. $5.50 shipping. the most important rail The Newfoundland Railway passenger station west of Canadian National Narrow Gauge Chicago. $39.95 hardcover, 312 pages , more than 2235 illustrations

The WWiire Devils by Frank L.Packard is a classic railroading adventure mystery set in a world of Explore the longest narrow gauge (3 ½ ft) train robbers, tapped wires, and secret codes. railroad in North America in its final years. $16.95 paper, 344 pages By ferry to Port aux Basque, by rail to St. John. A fascinating rail operation! 90 minutes, color, Maps, narration. $30. $5.50 for shipping Back InIn PrPrint! A&R Productions UnivUnivveersityersrsiittyy ofooff MinnesotaMiMinnesotannesota PPressPresresss PO Box 492, Kensington, CT 06037 AAvvailableaailailableable at at betterb betteretter bookstoresb bookstoresookstores oro oorrr to to or orderder ca call ll 800 800-621-2736- 621- 2736 | | ww wwwwwww.upressuup.upressresss.umn.edu.umn.e.umn.eddudu (800) 246-5898

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between June 8 and August 23, and run on machine (more on that in a moment), and NEW YORK CENTRAL two sc hedules. On Thursdays and Satur - seating for 40. A second car seats 48, bring- 2013 CALENDAR days, it will depart at 11:30 a.m., and on Fri- ing our capacity to as many as 88 passen- days it will depart at 6:30 p.m. The mid-day gers. Each car has a staff of two. They will be Enjoy 15 historic NYC photos. train offers a 90-minute scenic ride along dressed in a uniform reminiscent of an ice Calendars are $11.00 each, Ohio Narragansett Bay. Passengers will receive a cream parlor. The galley will be run by the residents add .70 cents sales tax. soft-serve ice cream sundae and a c hoice of ice cream maker .” Here Bob begins to talk Dealer inquiries welcome. toppings, accompanied by a soft drink. like a restaurant man, his voice taking on a NEW YORK CENTRAL SYSTEM HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. Snacks, including hot dogs, burgers, and the tinge of pride as he points out, “I got a high- DEPTDEPT R T •• 17038 17038 ROOSEVELT AVEAVE like, are available for purchase as well. volume soft serve mac hine. This mac hine LOCKPORT,LOCKPORT, ILIL 60441-4734 The Friday night train pro- can make 100 8-oz. vides some- dishes of soft- thing extra serve in 15 min- special. It is utes. We had to The Zephyr Rocket hosted by rewire the Budd what we’ve car and install The often overlooked Zephyr Rocket named The two 30-amp cir - passenger train is the subject of this lav- ishly illustrated 166 page publication - Candyman cuit breakers to with maps, photos, graphics, along Conductor. He handle it. ” Once with Pullman financials and reproduc- tions of the dining car menus. Station is an entertain- passengers ha ve track plans of St. Paul and er who pla ys gotten their soft- Minneapolis and newly drawn pas- senger car plans highlight this issue. the guitar, sings, serve, the atten- Maps of the Quincy and Burlington and drums up dants will circu- operations and foldouts make this publication the most complete history of the train. sing-alongs. He late in the car , Available direct or from your favorite dealer. also tells stories bringing a variety Price: $40 plus $5 postage with an ice cream of toppings to each TRRA Historical and theme. And there table so passen- Technical Society, Inc. are coloring pages gers can dress P.O. Box 1688, for the c hildren to their sundaes to St. Louis, MO 63188-1688 (314) 535-3101 (evenings) work on as well. In their own satisfac- trra-hts.railfan.net addition to the sun- tion. “There will be dae and beverage , a small gift shop on passengers get piz- the train as well, of- 2013 RAILROAD TOURS za.” Bob emphasizes fering the standard the focus on families items — customized TRAINS throughout our con- T-shirts, hats , and versation. For him, it’s other memorabilia.” &TRAVEL not just a buzzword. It Reaction within is a well-integrated the dinner train com- WORLDWIDE RAIL TOURS point of view. munity to his plans “Our equipment in- for the concept ha ve been “favorable,” Bob t
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train.com for a website name . So we’ve got coffee once found on its namesake railroad’s that.” He’s trademark protected the name as dining cars. To quote the label: “Dining serv- well. And as he and I were talking , a team ice aboard the B&O Railroad’ s passenger showed up to begin the launch of a social me- trains w as critically acc laimed for its dia strategy. That is a critical component of Chesapeake regional cuisine . Ha ving top marketing to young families , and should quality coffees and teas on board was no ex- prove useful if and when he adds features to ception. Fresh coffee of the highest quality COMPANY STORE his service. was brewed on board the B&O’ s long dis- Whether you want to show a Judging from the sundae pictured in the tance trains from pre-dawn hours until late little company pride or add to your brochure, I’d say it’s not just for kids. So set at night.” So it was that the railroad’s Com- collection of cool rail-related gear, this aside a few calories and allow yourself to en- missary Department, located in its w are- is the place to be for exclusive and authentic TTX-branded merchandise. joy a sundae, too. houses at Camden Station in Baltimore, re- Just The Facts: The Newport Dinner ceived shipments of a custom Baltimore www.ttx.com Train/Ice Cream Train is located at 19 Coffee & Tea Company blend. That compa- America’s Cup Avenue in downtown New- ny, founded in 1895, was originally located port, Rhode Island. An extensive run-sched- less than one city block away. The coffee is ule through October , inc luding the Ice a blend of F ancy Brazilian Santos and Cream Train’ s Thursda y/Saturday depar- Guatemalan Antiqua beans, and the sample tures at 11:30 a.m. and F riday’s departure I tried is both distinctive and mild. To place at 6:30 p.m. For more information or to make an order of Dining Car Blend, go to MOBILE GAIN reservations, go to newportdinnertrain.com http://www.borail.org/category/5.aspx or call 800/398-7427. (Gifts & Souvenirs) or telephone 410/752- ANTENNA Elsewhere: For those readers who were 2490 and ask for the gift shop. Tuned to Railroad Band expecting to find the annual Dinner Train On a Related Note: A recent multi-me- as reviewed in Railfan & Railroad Guide here this month, know that I’ve decid- dia piece on the WBEZ/91.5 website in ed to forego that experience for this year . If Chicago caught our attention. Louisa Chu’s • Increased range you have followed it from year to year , you on-going series , Moveable F east: Chicago , 5/8 wave, 3db gain know that it uncovered an unusual and hard was devoted to diners . Titled “Chicago Din- Tuned for optimum to account for phenomenon. That is , the ers, Side of Extra Crispy Stories ,” it covers Sensitivity, 160-161 Mhz. number of suc h operations has remained the railroad dining car link to the history of Heavy-duty magnetic relatively constant, hovering somewhere in diners in a 7:58 minute audio segment, mount - other options the high 80s to low 90s every year . That re- “How Diner Culture Evolved, ” whic h fea- $ PLUS $19 SHIPPING mained the case through a devastating act tures a source known to readers of this col- 76 Specify scanner type of terrorism, through the conduct of two umn — Richard Gutman, Director and Cu- 901-755-1514 wars overseas, and through an economic cri- rator of the Culinary Arts Museum at Fax: 901-756-8242 sis that I can’t characterize without provok- Johnson & Wales University . Other high- Box 38881, Germantown, TN 38183 ing debate. lights: A photo essa y and video c lips that www.railcom.net E-mail: [email protected] And yet, what has also occurred is that a tour Chicago’s oldest diners , and, of special MOTOROLA, MOTO, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license. © 2012 Motorola Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. handful of operations would cease at the interest to readers here , a link — labeled same time a similar number would see a “Click here to launc h the diner tour” — launch. Even more confounding has been where you select the photograph in the low- that there is no clear explanation —a trend, er left corner — Pullman Sleeping Car Com- if you will — that explains the demises . pany. There you’ll enjoy an interview of Some stop running due to a fractured rela- Daniel Traynor, the company’ s executive tionship, train operator and the host rail- chef, and a photo essay portraying aspects of road, excursion operator with the food serv- meal service on this new operation. Also find ice provider, or a dec line in interest among comments by Da vid Gevercer, owner of the worn-out volunteers, and even divorces that Silver P alm (February 2012). This later split the railroad and restaurant factions in mention may make it necessary for you to half. From my notes over the past year, noth- conjure a Perfect Bourbon Manhattan before ing seems to have changed. you sit down to visit http://tinyurl.com/ What has changed is the number of oper- a9hng3h for the entire experience. There’s a ations that have begun dabbling in offering lot to read, see, and hear at this site. rail dining experiences, especially those that Michael Léson: It provoked sadness to turn to partnerships with either vintners or learn recently of the passing of Michael Lé- micro-breweries. Whether it is the Colorado son, who died on Wednesday, September 12, Railroad Museum operating the Colorado 2012, at the age of 67. Born and raised in Wine & Music Train, New York’s Medina Philadelphia, Mic hael spent his adult life Railroad Museum teaming up with the living in the Mahoning Valley, and is best- Spring Lake Winery, or the Hoc king Valley known to railfans and model railroaders for Scenic Railway working with Stuart’s Opera his high-energy presence at modeling expos House for the Wine Express in Ohio; or the and railroadiana events . A talented fine Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad ride-and- china designer, he worked as the artistic di- dine out of Lebanon, Ohio , to the Brazen- rector at Shenango China and Anchor- head Pub in Mason, or similar, these opera- Hocking before starting his own business , tions are not only popular in their own right, Michael Léson Dinnerw are. Happily , for but offer the opportunity to test rail dining our niche of the market, he eventually tran- as something to be offered on a larger scale sitioned to the design and manufacture of in the future. rail-oriented collectibles . His American So my suggestion is this: As you plan your Rails and Highways series inc luded the travels, consult the web and/or published sometimes-controversial contemporary in- travel-site directories to locate rail excur - terpretations of traditional railroad dining sions — and museums, by the way — and go car china, offering five-piece place settings to the relevant websites (or call, if you re- of brightly decorated plates, bowl, cup, and main reluctant to use a computer for this , saucer for more than a half dozen Class I the most common of its applications) to see railroads. A local obituary noted he “also what’s cooking (I couldn’t resist the pun) enjoyed being a lector at St. Charles Parish, wherever it is you are heading. and “was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force Re- B&O Coffee: The B&O Railroad Muse- serves.” He w as the subject of this column um now offers an authentic replica of the in December 2003.

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