My word!I knew the menu was special on some trains but this sounds like the Orient Express or what was probably served to the President when he still travled by train!Wonder what a menu like this would cost now days, maybe $200?
That was a special meal you could order for yourself. It woulda been about $70 todays money, I think.
Just as a data point $9.85 of 1935 inflation adjusted is equivalent to $152.98 in 2008.
We had that dinner on one trip on the Panama Limited. It was towards the end of the period where they offered that meal. As I recall you had to ask for it rather than having it actually on the menu but could be wrong about that. At least I think when we had it you had to ask. I related once before that the waiter actually ask if we really wanted to purchase it, like maybe we couldn't afford it?
Lots of interesting observations here about the old days. I was lucky enough to get in on some of it around 1960. By then some things were starting to slip rather badly on railroads that were more aggressive about dropping service. The wabash stands out as one and latter the Union Pacific began to ignore repairs that were starting to be needed. But if you were lucky and rode the Empire Builder, or The Santa Fe you would have had a lot different picture. Even the GM&O was trying to maintain a form or decent service beyond what many others did.
So many references to what railroads were like in the old days get flavored by poor experiences that were common towards the end of the era. Yet when one encounter a railroad that still cared they made Amtrak look like the ones that didn't.
Yes the cars may look similar on the outside, but as we all know by almost anything we buy today, the quality is gone in most products. You can't really compare a Superliner sleeper to a Pullman sleeper. It almost seems like the last time anyone actually carried my bags to our room was in the Pullman days. Today your on your own most of the time and up a steep winding set of stairs besides. Shoes were shined as a routine service. A brush came out and your clothes were brushed off as you left the car. Seats always had "Pullman" head rest cloths on the seat backs. Cars were solid and windows were shiny, no dirt in the corners, no torn seats that never get fixed, curtains worked and fit properly. And the porter was always available, you didn't have to spend an hour trying to find them or worse. Toilets flushed. (that seemed so basic then).
When one sees the glamor of the Pacific Parlor car think how nice it would be if the same thoughtful decor were spread though out the train. That is how a well designed train of the past looked. Wonderful overstuffed mohair sofas and arm chairs in the lounges. Lamps on small tables between the seats, A desk with post cards for writing friends, book cases for passing the time reading if you wished. Trains like the Empire builder had wonderful murals painted on the walls even in the coaches and lounges. The whole train had western interior touches that made it a vacation from the time you stepped on board. The diner had etched glass panels that divided eating areas and the diners always had a focal point of a breakfront or large illuminated photos at the ends of the cars that gave it a elegant look.
The City trains, I rode the City of St. Louis mostly, were a beautiful gold color on the outside and featured dome dining, first class lounges, card rooms, and excellent food. One of the things I miss the most is the feeling that when your riding a name train it means something. Today it means "Nothing". You might as well be on any other train you just stepped off of. I doubt somehow that is going to change.
Another difference between the old days and now is that most trains that ran any distance carried a first class parlor car and diner, not some snack car with chips and soggy ham an cheese tossed at you over the counter. And yes, no trash bags dumped all over the cars. (who ever came up with that one should have lost their job long ago). Probably got a promotion at Amtrak.
Somehow to those who always seem so thrilled by the bare essentials service and cars of today I can only feel a bit sorry. Settling for less may be the way of the times, but it sure is nice to know it was, or could be better.