The Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society, in cooperation with André's Restaurant in Newton, N.J., presents Dinner in the Diner on Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. at André's. This four course meal has been carefully recreated from the great menus of both the Erie and the Lackawanna Railroads as they were served in the 1940s and 1950s.
The proceeds from this dinner will be used in the restoration of the Society's two dining cars, Erie Lackawanna 741 and Lackawanna 470. With your help, we will bring back the days of Dinner in the Diner on board our cars.
Visit our online store to purchase tickets, print out our RSVP form, or click the link below for more information.
On Jan. 4, 1970, the last Erie Lackawanna long-distance train, The Lake Cities, ran for the last time between Hoboken and Chicago. Both the eastbound and westbound trains arrived at their destinations on Jan. 5, 1970, closing the book on Erie Lackawanna long-distance passenger service. The passenger equipment, which was the pride of the Erie Lackawanna's operating department, would soon begin leaving the property, spread to the four corners of the continent.
Forty years later, several of these cars have been reunited under the umbrella of ELDCPS. With the continued financial support of our donors and members, Jan. 4-5, 1970 will no longer be the final chapter in the story of Erie Lackawanna passenger operations. ELDCPS was formed to bring back the experience of passenger rail travel on the Erie Lackawanna, and the next chapter in the story has already begun. Please join us in writing that next chapter.
All of the Directors of ELDCPS would like to wish our members, friends, and families a happy New Year. We hope to be making some exciting announcements in the next few months, so make sure you visit this website often for the latest news.
ELDCPS will be producing a Dining Car Calendar beginning in 2011, and we are looking for photographic submissions. We are looking for both interior and exterior photos of dining car operations from any railroad. If you are interested in contributing, please contact us using the link below. Digital submissions are preferred, but we can accept slides and prints as well. Contributors must have rights to their submissions.
The 2010 Erie Lackawanna Calendar, jointly produced by the Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society and the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society, is now available for purchase from our online store.
The 2010 Erie Lackawanna Calendar features both color & black/white photos from across the Erie Lackawanna System.
The calendar sells for $9.95 ($8.95 for ELDCPS Members) plus $2.25 shipping.
Erie Lackawanna Diner 741, currently undergoing restoration by ELDCPS, was featured for the first time on NBC's "The Office".
In 2005, the Society commissioned painter Christopher Barbieri to depict Diner 741. He produced a fantastic watercolor of the diner at Hoboken, waiting in the consist of the Lake Cities for departure. The painting was reproduced as a lithograph, "Memories of Erie Lackawanna Dining Service", and one of these lithos now hangs on the office wall of character Jim Halpert on "The Office".
Our Memories of the Erie Lackawanna: Volume 2 (DVD) Now AvailableThe newest video from RonRail Productions is now available for purchase from the ELDCPS Store. Featuring the films of Rich Pennisi, Al Holleuffer, Harry Elder and Phil Elder, this new video contains more exciting color action filmed in 8mm on the Erie Lackawanna. Includes cab rides, freight and passenger trains, including the Phoebe Snow and Lake Cities, special trains, and even footage of a wreck at Pompton Jct.
To raise the funds necessary to replace all of the windows on Diner 741, we have initiated an Adopt-A-Window program.
African Americans played a critical role in Railroad Dining Car and Pullman operations, and we intend to research this history as part of our project. If you or a family member was employed in these historical dining car or Pullman operations, we would like to hear your personal history.