Dining By Rail: The History and Recipes of America's Golden Age of Railroad Cuisine

by James D. Porterfield

Overview

Dining by Rail is James D. Porterfield's book of history and recipes from America's golden age of railroad cuisine. Porterfield is a devotee of railroad history and a gourmet cook, and while preparing this book he sorted through 7,500 railroad recipes. Full of authentic menus and classic recipes like Lobster Newburg, deviled eggs and blanc mange, Dining by Rail is the book for anyone who has ever dreamed of returning to the days of glamorous travel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312187118
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/15/1998
Pages:	408
Sales rank:	661,940
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.05(d)

About the Author

James D. Porterfield is a devotee of railroad history and a gourmet cook. He sorted through 7,500 authentic railroad recipes while preparing Dining By Rail. He lives and teaches in State College, Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

...mouthwatering...A sumptuous social history, complete with recipes.” —Entertainment Weekly

“A wonderful book of interesting information and great food.” —Merle Ellis, Host of "Cookin' USA," The Nashville Network

“Readers...may find this book fulfilling their wildest dreams...invaluable...For authentic American [cuisine] presented without campiness or apology, this is the source.” —Publishers Weekly

“[A] loving look at dining cars, first-class meals, and the vanished romance of rail travel.” —Beverly Bundy, Staff Writer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“...unique, practical and highly informative...Besides 150 priceless photographs, the book contains...simple and easy-to-follow recipes.” —The Virginia Quarterly Review

“...an entertaining and scholarly book...eloquent.” —John P. Hankey, Chief Curator, B&O Railroad Museum

“...fascinating...If you're a rail enthusiast who loves to cook, you'll be delighted.” —The Milwaukee Journal

From the Publisher

Readers who sigh at the names ``Super Chief'' and ``Zephyr,'' and who remember the meal Cary Grant ate on the train in North by Northwest , may find this book fulfilling their wildest dreams. In an attempt to ``preserve a record of one of the ways we used to eat,'' rail fan and Penn State professor Porterfield presents a detailed history of train dining. Beginning as an alternative to railroad station eateries, train dining reached its peak in 1930, when 1732 railroad dining cars were registered with the Interstate Commerce Commission, and all but ended in 1971 with telegrams like the May 1 order to Union Pacific to shut its passenger lines and make way for Amtrak. Model railroaders and social historians will find the 150 photographs and illustrations invaluable: a photo spread with dimensions of the pantry of the New York Central's Twentieth Century Limited, a sample 1920s dinner menu from the Milwaukee Railroad's Pioneer Limited, descriptions of staff sleeping quarters. The second half of the book offers 250 recipes from 48 railroad lines, featuring early-20th-century fare like Lobster Newburg New York Central, Poinsettia Salad-Merchant's Limited and Baked Potato Pennsylvania. For authentic American versions of lamb fricassee, deviled eggs and blanc mange presented without campiness or apology, this is the source. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly