~ I WAS ONCE A TROLLEY ~ Submitted by Ray Shoop
Recycle a Trolley into a Diner
With its densely populated towns, the New England region became a hotbed of lunch wagon construction. As fast as they could, manufacturers like Wilfred Barriere, Albert H. Clossen, P.J. Tierney, and the Worcester Lunch Car Company began turning out compact, mobile restaurants.
Early lunch coach with street wheel.As electrical power gained a foothold, many towns took horse drawn trolley cars out of service and replaced them with electrically powered units. No sooner did trolley companies scrap the old cars than men who were out to make a fast buck in the diner business snapped them up.
The idea? Buy a few junk trolley cars at bottom dollar, outfit them with a small stove (and other basic equipment), and sell them off as inexpensive lunch wagons. For those who couldn’t afford a costly Clossen or a Worcester, it was a quick way to get set up. Soon, a raft of these trolley lunches crowded their way into the streets.
Later converted closed trolley coach on the ground.Overcrowding In The Streets Spurs Change
Unfortunately, it was too much for the existing infrastructure. With all the horse drawn delivery wagons, hansom cabs, and lunch wagons rolling about, many cities implemented laws to ban food carts. Some imposed restricted hours of operation. As rules tightened, operators who wanted to remain in business had to find a permanent location to put down roots. Before the dust settled, solid foundations replaced the wagon wheels and the stationary diner was born!
Later converted closed trolley coach on a foundation.Trolley cars were not only landmarks as passenger carriers, but now they were turned into business buildings.
Gourmet dining – NOT…
I love eating at diners -- those stainless steel boxes in art deco style (read that speckled Formica, linoleum, and neon) -- the type that hold about 50 people max, and have a jukebox at every table! The old diner is a standalone structure. One story tall and usually longer than wider, they often look like an abandoned railroad car or trolley (which some are), that serve home cooked food (and breakfast) 24 hours a day, cheap, and have counter service. A wise cracking waitress is optional. They were built offsite in a factory and delivered to the new owner ready to serve. Diners dotted the American landscape from the late 19th century and peaked in the 1950’ s-60.
Diner History Lesson 101
While they originated in the cities, they also located along roadsides. Credit for the diner concept is given to Walter Scott of Providence, Rhode Island. In 1872, he began offering prepared food from a converted horse drawn freight wagon. His nighttime lunch wagon served mill workers who could not find anything open. In Worcester, Mass., Sam Jones noticed that folks had to stand around the lunch carts to eat. So, he opened a different kind of night lunch wagon in 1884. His wagon was large enough for a lunch counter with stools. His customers could come inside and SIT to eat. Counters and stools became diner standards thanks to him. Another Worcester fellow, Thomas H. Buckley, realized that there was more money in building and selling wagons and started the first diner manufacturing company.
By 1892, the New England Lunch Wagon Company had built and sold over 75 wagons. Buckley erected diners in over 275 towns across the country expanding the market from the Industrial Northeast where it began. Eventually diner owners realized that by parking their wagons on permanent spots they could cut down on costs (no horses to feed), and could stay open longer - hence the birth of the diner as we know it today. During the 1920's-30's, diner manufacturers designed them to look like the sleek cool trains of the time. Railroad food was considered a Four Star meal. In fact, they are called Diners because it is a short version for Dining Car.
Since diners were mostly male oriented, due to the nature of the workforce, the owners had to rethink their strategy during the 1920's when more women entered the workplace. So landscaping, window boxes, and ornate frosted glass appeared to attract the women customers. However, women didn't want to sit on stools or at the counter (reminded them of bars), so diner owners installed tables down the length of the counter and promoted their "booth service." Booths became a diner standard along with the counter and stool.
Each diner was different but folks knew you could stop and get a good meal and conversation. After all, the stool next to you was only a few inches away from a stranger, and the booths not much further. You were almost forced to be civil. After all, if you were eating neck to neck you might as well have a chat.
Diner links
Heritage Harbor Museum, Providence, RI
Ralph's Chadwick Square Diner - Worcester, Ma.
Wilson's Diner, Waltham, MA photographs
Diner City, online guide to classic diners and the American Roadside
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