I am sure there are many places to eat or have a drink alongside the railroad, but some are unique. Maybe others have some of these photographed. I really took my pictures to eventually make models of them. I especially like the unique names. I took this picture today. It is right next to the San Antonio East Yard tower. It is a fast food hamburger place called "The Lord's Kitchen." You can possibly read the name on the green sign. You can probably get a taco there, too.
In denver I like to eat at a breakfast king right behind the old gates rubber company building. I can railfan from the non-smoking section. One day I was doing just that and got to see the Boeing plane fuselage train go by. Best breakfast I ever had.
Snake River Pub, Cheyenne, WY. Housed in the historic Cheyenne UP depot, it is at ground zero, next to the 4-track mainline thru town: (the white tank is for the microbrewery inside) And: In this shot, you can clearly see the 4 main tracks, and Sherman Hill's grade:
There is a strip mall with supermarket and other stores with a communal parking lot at the intersection of Archer & Central Ave's. on Chicago's Southwest side. There is a Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor in the mall, you can watch trains on the BRC, transfer jobs from other railroads usually, or you can park at the south side of the parking lot which is adjacent to the tracks and watch from there! CT
I have forgotten the name of the fantastic restaurant (at least it used to be) in Colorado Springs, next to the park where the old 168 is displayed. Mainline ran right along side. Great food.
I don't know how it is with railfans but new hires aren't considered qualified anywhere until they know where all the 24 hr. food and coffee stops are.
Mmhmm... - The Shovel in Marion, Ohio is adjacent to an NS and two CSX lines. - The Berean in Berea, Ohio is adjacent to a CSX line and within sight of an NS line. - The Glendale Pub in Glendale, Ohio is by a CSX line with NS trackage rights and has an outdoor patio! - Of course, there's always a party at Crossroads Park in Deshler, Ohio. You just need to do the grilling yourself! I'm sure more will come to me later tonite!
Any chance this name is related to a historic heavy equipment manufacturing company? This topic is making me hungry! Boxcab E50
Hemi, you beat me to the punch with the Snake River Pub! I'd also like to add the Hitching Post restaurant on west Lincolnway in Cheyenne, where I try to get a good window view of the action. Heavener, OK has a Sonic that is on US59 across the street from the KCS depot/crew change point, and you can get a great view of the action there with thru freights, dodgers, and helper sets coming off the Rich Mountain grade south of town.
Hey, In Rutherford,N.J. there's a place called The Trackside Cafe.It's right next to NJT's Bergen County Line & Rutherford Station. If that's not good enough,the food is great & tons of tv's for FOOTBALL. I was going there long before I started working for the RR.
I remember a lot of places like that, that are simply no longer there. I remember several trackside eateries in my hometown. One was a narrow little building called the "Corner Lunch". It's long since gone. Charlie
Charlie just triggered a memory of "Crazy Otto's Diner" in Lancaster, CA, so close to the Espee tracks that the building shook when a train passed. Their breakfast menu featured SIX egg omelletes. One never left there hungry. Now SP is gone, and Otto's moved about 3 miles away from the track if it still exists at all.
Ypsilanti, MI--Depot Town--The Sidetrack. It's right next to the old NYC line that goes into Detroit from Ann Arbor. Usually a steel consist goes through during happy hour. The food is excellent (the best damn burger in the state!) and they have about 20 quality beers on tap. For those of you from Wisconsin, they even have Pabst in a can (No Altes..though). Reasonable prices. Mason, MI--The Depot Old MC depot that is now a restuarant. If you are lucky, the NS crew will stop their dual GP40 consist to stop in and have lunch. Food is mediocre, prices a bit high. Lelsie, MI---Leslie Depot Diner Old MC depot, on the same line. Better food. The NS consist usually goes through in the AM (NB) or late afternoon (SB). Rives Junction, MI My backyard. Also on the same MC line. Menu depends upon what I feel like cooking. Maybe I'll smoke a brisket or pork shoulder until falling apart. Maybe I'll grill up some Kopytko Keilbasa. I am having the last of my tomatoes tonight, otherwise, fresh tomatoes, with basil, fresh mozerella chese and olive oil drizzled on it. My favorite Summer time dinner. Alas, it's 42 degrees and it really wants to sleet/snow, so I think tonight I roast the ham I have had sitiing in a rub for the past two days. Martha Stewart slurp s#$! and die!!!!
The Seaboard Restaurant in Hamlet (N.C.) is only about a block from the historic depot & tracks. YOu usually catch a lot of railfans in there, until a horn blows.... Harold
Your problems are solved in Palmer, Mass. The owner of the former trainstation next to the CSX lines just put in a restuarant called the "Steaming Tender." The owner is a railfan himself, I guess he got tired of waiting around for nothing and when he got back from the local McDonalds or Burger King, he would arrive just in time to see a FRED go out of sight. The food is good, actually it is great, and they have ice cream too. That is all we need Now if he would just open up a model railroad hobby shop and a bed and breakfast. I would never leave.
Hmmmm. Interesting idea there! I'll bet you'd have plenty of others from here, who would also settle in! Boxcab E50
Along the old CB&Q, Galesburg IL (AKA Heaven for me ) near the Depot is the Packing House. If you sit in the front room, you can watch the BNSF and Amtrak trains go through just a few yards away. They have great burgers and brews there! Go durring Galesburg RR Days and get the Burger Bar!