LION ROARS - Lionel Collectors Club of America

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D I N N E R O N W H E E L S O N R A I L Sby Mike H. Mottler RM 12394Good food, good company, in a great environment.It doesn’t get any better than that! Well, for train fans, itcould be made more perfect — as a dinner aboard awonderfully restored train.My Old Kentucky Dinner Train is a special attractionin its home state, and it’s a featured tour of the LCCAAnnual Convention. This isa ride — and a meal — youwon’t want to miss. Duringlate February, the LCCABoard visited Bardstown,Kentucky — the home ofthis train-based experience— for a preview of itsservice and cuisine, and Icame along for the ride andthe meal.The dinner train offersa 1940s dining experience,and the Bardstown trainstation is a gentle reminderthat a time warp has begun. The train is parked alongside,with two sleek F7A units on point. The 1940s/50spassenger cars are elegantly restored and modified asdining cars with tables and chairs. I was seated with twofriends at a table for four in a dining car with woodpaneling, cushy carpeting, tailored window curtains, andspotless tablecloths beset in a formal style with flatware,fancy place settings, and shimmering glassware. “Not tooshabby,” I thought silently.LCCA Editors (L to R) aboard My Old Kentucky Dinner Trainare Bill Button, The Interchange Track; Mike Mottler, TheLion Roars; and Bill Schmeelk, Editor-designate for The LionRoars.Frieda, our server, introduced herself graciously andmade everyone feel comfortable at the four tables underher command and control. As we settled in, we becameaware that she regarded us as participants in a shared,very special outing. Supported by her friendly demeanorand constant attention to detail, the ambiance of thisdining room on wheels on rails wafted over us. This wasno “Want fries with that?”kind of joint!She recorded anddelivered our order fordrinks. Happily, they had instock my favorite beverage— Coors Light. The soupcourse was a chicken-based,gumbo-like creation. Mytest for a really great soupis ... will the spoon stand upin it? Which, in this case, itdid. It was delicious; not toospicy for this culinarycoward. The salad was agreen, crispy delight with an excellent ranch dressing. Iliked the big croutons with flavor.Then the train got underway with a gentle tugforward. The Kentucky grasslands rolled slowly by thewindow as a pastoral background for pleasant dinnerconversation with other train fans and Lionel loyalists.Frieda presented the elements of the meal without brusqueintrusion and with a pleasant down-home smile and20The Lion Roars April, 2001
As My Old Kentucky Dinner Train rolled smoothly over a high trestle inthe woodlands, the dinner guests on board enjoyed a sumptuous meal.cheerful disposition. Her choreographed movements withthe food trays were aesthetically in sync with the rhythmof the train in motion. I considered her “performance” afringe benefit of the total train experience.We soon observed through the windows a localfeature of the Kentucky landscape — corrugated-metalclad,four or five story windowless barn-like buildings.These are rack houses; warehouses with thousands ofbarrels of Kentucky whiskey inside — each batch quietlyresting for years and gathering character during thecarefully controlled aging process. Along the route, wepassed a Jim Beam distillery — the source of the barreleduplibations-in-waiting. This is the region of the countrywhere the citizens believe water is for bathing andwhiskey is for drinking.Then came the main course. My choice — atemporary deviation from my weight controlprogram — was prime rib. Others in the partyselected chicken or salmon entrees. Everyone intalking range pronounced their meal choice as“excellent.” The hefty slice of prime rib was agenerous portion — one-inch thick. I consideredit a challenging meal and a reminder that southernhospitality takes fully into account guests whocome to dinner hungry. I asked for “medium”treatment, and others offered their variations. Eachserving was “done” exactly right. Clearly, the chefin the onboard kitchen knew what he was doing.As darkness fell, we entered a woodlandforest, and the undercarriage lights of the coacheslluminated our way as we rolled along toward theend of the line — about a 17-mile run, one way.Frieda offered three choices for dessert, andthe bourbon-flavored boulee seemed to me to begeopolitically correct. It was delicious. The coffeewas excellent and served with cream; not thepowdery stuff as mere “whitener.”At the end of the line, the engine performed arun-around maneuver, and we soon headed backto Bardstown. With dinner service completed, thetrain ran at a faster rate of speed on the return legof the trip. The smokers in the group enjoyed theirtrips to the vestibules — to look at the landscapeand savor a nicotine hit.Meals on board a train are always special for me. Inmid-Kentucky, I remembered why. In a reflective moment,I recalled an earlier train trip from Chicago to Spokanewith my Grandma Dorothy in 1952 aboard the GreatNorthern’s “Empire Builder.” Then 11 years old and in6th grade, I ordered Trout Almondine — an adventurouschoice for a kid. The dinnerware was marked with thelogo of the railroad, and the silverware was heavy and“real.” We wrote our order on the meal slip and a Blackwaiter in a crisp white jacket attended to us with dignitythat I could only compare to “being in church.” It waswonderful and memorable. My Old Kentucky DinnerTrain is still making those kinds of memories.21The Lion Roars April, 2001
Page 1: Volume 30, No. 5 April, 2001TheLION
Page 5 and 6: LCCA BoardMeeting MinutesFebruary 2
Page 7 and 8: exclusive limited edition Lionel se
Page 9 and 10: The “thank you” 6464 boxcar was
Page 11 and 12: As a freight train rumbles by, thes
Page 13 and 14: 3My biggest Lionel standard gauge t
Page 15 and 16: AdvertisingThis is a very important
Page 17 and 18: 4So What’s New?Although I’d alr
Page 19 and 20: 10Corning Hopper. Ours was a quad h
Page 21: allow salesmen to carry them around
Page 25 and 26: Form may bephotocopiedLionel ® Col
Page 27 and 28: convention registration numbers at
Page 29 and 30: YEAR 2001 CONVENTION TIMETABLEIMPOR
Page 31 and 32: travel by air-conditioned modern va
Page 33 and 34: CONTACTS AND DIRECTIONS FOR CONVENT
Page 35 and 36: What Lionel Means to Meby John Neum

LION ROARS - Lionel Collectors Club of America

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