Many Americans have a romantic fascination with trains. Throughout our history, trains have helped us to forge new territory and tame wild land, and have taken us places we’ve only imagined. As we’ve introduced other modes of transportation, the train has always been there, a workhorse whose rails spread like webbing across our cities and open land, reminding us of how this country was built.
Plus, trains are huge, they look really cool, and they go, “Woo! Woo!” when they start rolling down a track!
I, on the other hand, have a romantic fascination with food. Simply put, I love to eat. I’m especially fond of enjoying a meal somewhere new, so when I learned about the Tennessee Valley Railroad’s Dinner on the Diner, the idea of eating on a moving conveyance that wasn’t 30,000 feet above terra very firma was enticing. What would the train be like? Where would it go? What would we eat? It seemed like it an adventure.
Scheduled most Saturday evenings April through November, Dinner on the Diner includes a three-course meal on a restored 1924 dining car called Travelers Fare. The train departs from Chattanooga’s Grand Junction Station and travels through portions of urban East Chattanooga before reversing direction and returning home. Travel time is about two hours.
The menu consists of carved English roast of beef topped with a Madeira sauce, herb roasted stuffed breast of chicken with a Cumberland sauce, or crusted filet of salmon with a lemon caper butter sauce. Other items include tomato bisque, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Dessert choices include triple chocolate cake with whipped cream and fudge sauce, apple pie with whipped cream and caramel sauce, and cheesecake with strawberries. Most of the food is prepared on the train, meaning it arrives at your table fresh out of the oven.
Arriving at Grand Junction Station for your excursion is part of the experience. I felt some of the “romance” of train travel I as entered the red brick building and saw the long wooden benches in the waiting area and the ticket window across the room. My wife took a seat on one of the benches and began chatting with a fellow traveler while I crossed the room to fetch our tickets. I smiled as the agent pushed our boarding passes through an opening beneath cast iron bars. A big part of train travel is the atmosphere, and Grand Junction Station has it in spades.
Before long, conductor Travis Gordon arrived and shouted “All aboard!” I smiled again as we stood and shuffled through the doors to the platform outside, and then stepped onto a wooden ramp, where Gordon took our tickets.
The dining car makes a nice first impression. Tables for four draped with white linen line either side of the simple but elegantly designed and decorated car, and glasses of ice water, a relish tray, and a basket of warm rolls and butter were waiting for hungry diners. I looked at the assortment of silverware, which included four different spoons, and wondered if I’d stepped outside of my comfort zone. There’s nothing more embarrassing during a fine meal than using the wrong spoon to eat your bisque!
The staff makes an even better first impression. As we boarded, four young men dressed in white suits and black bow ties stood at attention, and then began attending to diners as they reached their tables and sat down. The steward, an older gentleman named David Duncan, looked even sharper than his staff in his tuxedo. He was there to make sure dinner went as smoothly as the ride downtown.
As at the train station, the experience inside the dining car is all about atmosphere. To that end, the decor, the table setting, and the staff were pitch perfect.
My wife and I dug into the relish tray and rolls as the train blew its whistle and pulled out. After we were moving, I took a moment to survey the other patrons on the car, and saw a variety of folks: A young couple married just five months was seated at the table across the aisle, while an elderly couple who’d recently celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary dined behind us.
Dress was casual, the train ambled along at a leisurely pace, and everyone talked quietly. As I watched the scenery roll by, I found myself relaxing and enjoying the company of my traveling companion.
Speaking of the scenery, you might remember me mentioning the train travels through “portions of urban East Chattanooga.” Those are code words for “the older parts of town.” The tracks have been around a long time, so it stands to reason the train would carry passengers through the well-worn portions of the city. The Dinner on the Diner experience is more about what takes place in the train rather than outside of it, although my wife did have fun waving at the people in the cars at the railroad crossings.
I also got a kick out of the train passing a block away from the Herald as it chugged through the interaction of Holtzclaw and McCallie.
Moving on to the “dinner” portion of “Dinner on the Diner,” my wife and I both ordered the beef. And what a cut of beef it was – or should I say slab? The thing was huge, nicely marbled, and covered in sauce. I looked at the plates of the diners who’d ordered the other entrées, and their plates were piled just as high. Even better, the food was tasty. Our desserts arrived with about an hour left on the trip, so we let what we’d eaten digest before digging in.
The intimate setting of the dining car encourages conversation among the passengers. As our servers carried off our plates, we struck up a chat with the young couple seated across from us, and enjoyed talking with them. My wife regaled them with stories of living in New York City, while they shared the details of several missions trips they’ve taken. Engaged in conversation, the last hour flew by.
As the train pulled up to Grand Junction Station, I was a little sad our journey was over. But that was a good thing, as it meant we’d enjoyed ourselves. The food was delicious, the staff could not have been friendlier or more attentive, and the setting was beyond charming. As my wife and I talked later that evening, we realized we’d been won over by the romance of the rails, as we were already planning more rides.
Duncan and his staff would love to see you on the diner car next. Just visit www.tvrail.com to view the schedule and purchase tickets. I believe you’ll have a good time, whether you have a romantic fascination with trains, food, or both.