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  • Railroad Cars at Reataurants on Long Island

  • Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.
Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.

Moderator: Liquidcamphor

 #1504462  by nyandw
 
http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/odds_ends.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; "LONG ISLAND RAILROAD RESTAURANTS" 25% down the page
I seem to recall a location around Port Jeff that had a number of rail cars in a restaurant setting c. 1970's, but... :wink: Anyone with other rail restaurants on Long Island?
Thanks.
 #1504470  by railfaned
 
found this post on another web site
Originally Posted by Flip72 View Post

The Dining Car 1890 was in Setauket at the corner of Nichols Road and 25A. The original restaurant and related buildings are still standing, pretty much in tact. The Dining Car closed around 1992 for financial reasons, and was vacant for a few years before it reopened. I worked there for several years through high school and college in the late 80's and early 90's. It was primarily decorated with authentic train memorabilia. Lot's of it. Lanterns, signs, photos, plaques, signal lights, etc. I even remember an old stack of magazines in the basement that was found in one of the train cars when they were originally acquired.

Today, the main part of the former Dining Car restaurant is called the Curry Club, it's a well-rated Indian restaurant. I was in there once a couple of years ago, and the inside looks pretty much the same, except the front foyer and bathrooms were reconfigured (which was badly needed). The bar still more or less has the Dining Car feel (now called the Velvet Lounge), and now has a little stage. It's a great barroom! Unfortunately, prior to Curry Club opening, the landlord scrapped two of the train cars years ago, but some still remain. I believe you can still be seated in the rear car, which I was told was Herbert Hoover's campaign car for a whistle stop tour. The big white adjoining building that was formerly the Victoria House catering hall is also still standing. Regretfully, this was converted into office building. It was a great space that had tremendous potential - considering the size of the rooms and the relative wealth in the area. I did consider leasing it back when - but the rent was outrageous, and there was an issue with sewage rights. I believe they all belonged to the restaurant portion, and not the catering hall.

I would say it was a combination of a recession and mixed priorities that led to the downfall of the Dining Car.

I have a lot of great memories working there. The staff was like family. We always had a great time. I could talk for hours about all the people and the stories we made. A reunion at the location would be great, but I don't even know where to find any people!
https://www.curryclubli.com/wp-content/ ... ve0058.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-isl ... z5jZ6zC9re" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 #1504481  by newkirk
 
Does anyone know the heritage of that car ?
 #1504538  by mwichten
 
I found this ad being used as wallpaper along with other historical newspaper ads....

I don’t believe there was ever a railroad car at the Red Caboose East location, just the Westbury location.