1929 DINING CAR INFORMATION

  This 1929 dining Car #2723 was one of the original 22, 36-seat dining cars built from 1921 to 1930, by American Car & Foundry in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The railcar is 83 feet long and weighs 183,000 pounds. Unlike the newer welded design, this heavyweight design was riveted. Dining cars built in this manner are easy to spot by the large rivets along the outside of the car. In the 1920s, each fully stocked L&N dining car represented a sizeable investment of over $250,000. In 2020 dollars, that investment would be just shy of 4 million dollars. This L&N diner was originally in service on the Pan American between Cincinnati and Memphis and had a complete kitchen. The kitchen remains as originally installed but is not currently operational.The tables were set with heavy china, real silver, crystal, and linen. The food was the best the railroad could provide. Each dining car was stocked with approximately 1,000 napkins and 325 tablecloths.The L&N dining car experience was known for its specialty of Old Hickory-Smoked Country Ham with red-eye gravy and grits, Seafood Platter and Seafood Gumbo, and passengers often stated that eating on a train was a wonderful experience. With careful planning and utilization of personnel and equipment, more than two million meals were served on the L&N dining cars during WWII.It is believed the original name of this car was The St. Louis Hotel, having been named for a famous hotel in New Orleans. The dining car was eventually converted to work-train service in the mid-1970s, being used for rail workers at major railroad construction projects and derailment sites.Having worked for the L&N/CSX Railroad for many years, Prospect, Ky., residents Lynn and Bob Jones were always interested in anything about railroads. As a result of their love, they purchased this Dining Car. At some point, they changed the car's name from St. Louis Hotel to Strike the Gold after a Kentucky Derby winner in 1991. They used the car for entertainment purposes and initiated a major restoration of the car in 1991. It was during this restoration that the seating configuration was changed from 36 to 43 seats.In 2011, the 1929 Dining Car was generously donated to the La Grange Railroad Museum by Bob & Lynn Jones of Prospect, Kentucky. We are incredibly grateful to Bob & Lynn Jones for their amazing gift.The La Grange Railroad Museum is operated by the La Grange Railroad Museum Foundation, Inc.(formerly the Ohio Valley Railroad Historical Foundation), which was incorporated in 2006, as a 501(c)(3) corporation to promote and preserve the history of railroads and railroading in the  Ohio Valley.