The best dinner train ride and dinner ever?

We've done the one on the Valley RR in Essex CT. Excellent food and service. They've got a Korean war troop kitchen that's used to cook dinner, pulled by an old diesel switcher.

Last time out we got a chance to ride in the cab while they ran around the train at the end of the trip.

Scotie

The Tioga Central with RS1 power and an assortment of heavyweight and light weight cars was short, but mighty tasty...with Rich Stoving doing the honors and the Central recipe Lobster Newburg !   The absolute all time best, however goes to the BC Rail Dinner train we experienced in 1999. This puppy was absolutely over the top in food, service and equipment. This is as close to the '38 Century as you could get. Dome cars, both full and short, lounge cars...enough to to shame the New Haven.  Best chooch food on the planet - period!  Perfect equipment, in perfect condition.  The staff made even the VIA Canadian look like pikers.  Only the motive power was hurting here...a Cat powered B truck Alco, running low nose rear!   All else, and I mean ALL else was as good as anything you could imagine.  Needless to say, when we went back in'03, she was gone. Too good to be true! Too good to last !   Honorable mention would go to The Rocky Mountaineer, at least in 2003, and the Royal Canadian Pacific...but these are not really dinner trains. OTOH, they both leave anything running today in the dust.   And while I'm rambling, a special thanks to Nancy Mosayani of CPR;  you are the 21st century's Phoebe Snow !

I've done Essex valley RR, Cape code, and the North Conway scenic in NH.  By far the best was Essex Valley RR.

I have always enjoyed lunch in the dinning car on the Strasburg RR. Each time my wife, daughter and I have visited the Strasburg RR we take the 12:00PM train. The last time I had a chicken pot pie that was real good. I have done a dinner train at Strasburg but did not enjoy it as much don't know why. Plus of course the best thing is the train is steam powered no diesels in sight.

JohnB

I wonder what other steam powered dinner trains exist?  One diesel one friends rode

operated over Louisville, New Albany and Corydon trackage, a road once famous for its late acceptance of passengers into its caboose, but I think it is defunct.  Another diesel

one is the one at Bardstown, Ky., which they also rode.  The only one I have been

on was a dining car set up on a siding, that offered meals.  It is long gone.

Up in Wisconsin, at the East Troy Trolley Museum, they have a converted South Shore coach to a dining car.  Looks very well done and they claim that it's the only "trolley powered" dinner train in the country.  I know the route very well and they make use of Phantom Lake as a scenic spot to stop and turn the train. 

I'd love to hear of someone who did take it an how well it went.   Years ago, in the early 1970's we used to advertise "the Electric Martini" at the old Trolley museum there, and we'd sell out a 50' North Shore car, bring a bar on board for cocktails, and follow up with a nice dinner at a nearby supper club.  All for about $20 bucks per person.  Never did try to serve dinner on the train, but then, we weren't equipped with that type of car, either.

Paul Fischer

I did the Royal Gorge Scenic. the meal was great but I was awestruck by the view. Get the vista dome. Personally I ate and went out on the open car.

Jamie

I miss the Spirit of Washington Dinner train. :-(  https://youtu.be/pBNEmPS0-yE

The Old Road Dinner Train

Blissfield to Charlotte, Michigan

http://www.murdermysterytrain.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages...987909443268?fref=ts

 Click on artwork to enlarge.

The Chehalis (WA) Steam Train group used to run a Saturday night only dinner train. I've ridden the cab on a few of them in the past but never rode for the meal. In fact, I just realized that among all the trains I've ridden in my lifetime, the only dinner train I've ever ridden was the New Georgia RR out to Stone Mountain from Atlanta. I was in my teens and it was a terrible personal experience as I had a canker sore the size of a dime (right on my lower lip) and was in utter misery at that time.

The Chehalis operation will pick up again with their dinner trains, I assume, once they get their 15-year inspection and overhaul done. It went way over, time-wise and their entire 2015 was shot down in flames. They haven't turned a wheel since December of last year. But now that I type this, I think I'll go ride it when they start up (hopefully before the end of the season, they say): http://steamtrainride.com/

Not advertised as a dinner train, but Saratoga & North Creek's regular run out of Saratoga Springs offers full breakfast northbound and dinner on the return.  As good as most upscale restaurant chains.  

On the other hand, the snack bar on Maine Eastern is less exciting than a movie theatre's, and no popcorn!

My favorite is still the VIA Rail Canadian

Clem k

IF they did a dinner train with their classic Budds, say a couple of skyline domes and a pair of diners.....it would be pretty awesome.  Only thing is how could they spare the equipment???   Now if they went after dedicated rolling stock, refurbished to the n'th degree, most kool.  Better yet, run that bad boy up and back on the E&N.   You could buzz up as far as Ladysmith and turn around....Oh Jah !    Grab the recipes from RCP and the Rocky Mountaineer, and look out!   Salmon, thin as paper, and to die for yummy !

I was walking the rim of the Grand Canyon, when the steam train came in from the

south, just down from one of the big hotels.  I guess that does not have a dinner train,

nor does it still run steam??

Grand Canyon Rwy.
www.thetrain.com
next steam trip: 9/5/15

seaboardm2,

   I was lucky enough to have ridden on a couple Presidential Trains, nothing compares to these Presidential Trains for having dinner, unless you are lucky enough to ride and eat on a completely Private RR Train, they do exist.  However the train I ride on a bi-monthly basis is the Tioga Railroad out of Wellsboro, Pa.  Great Lunches and Dinners prepared by a fantastic chef on board the train, and served in a comfortable Dining Car, that travels up thru part of the Pa State Game lands, with some beautiful scenery.  They even have an Ice Cream Train ride for the kids, at different times during the summer.

PCRR/Dave

The absolute best dinner train of the several I've been on was on the Wilmington & Western Railroad for a Valentine's Day special excursion a few years ago.

The dinner was prepared by Bachetti Brothers Gourmet Market of Wilmington, De. on the train in a spare box car and featured a 10 oz. filet mignon and a large lobster tail with all the trimmings.  Included were huge chocolate covered strawberries, and for dessert a monstrous chocolate lava cake smothered in whipped cream.  Just outstanding!

The Napa Valley Wine Train through the wine country of the Napa valley and the Rocky Mountaineer through the Canadian Rockies are at the top of my list and we've ridden quite a few. Excellent food and service plus wonderful scenery.

Eric Hofberg

TCA, LCCA 

The North Scenic Railroad's dinner train running along the north shore of Lake Superior from Duluth to Two Harbors, MN is very good. Local restaurants provide the food, usually smaller 'upper level' restaurants are used. IIRC when I was last there we had chicken with wild rice, both in cream sauce, and vegetables (and desert). We rode in a former Empire Builder dining car.

It's not a dinner train as such, not in the classic sense. The quit running daily steam in 2008. We were lucky to ride the last full year for daily steam, when nobody realized it was that last year. Stayed the night in the El Tovar and rode steam back. the dome car going up and the business car going back. Such a great trip it was...