HOW IT ALL BEGAN - All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide - page 18

comfortable routes, and more service amenities. But many rail-
roads had come to realize that what passengers remembered most
about their train trips were the dining experiences. (Still true, by
the way.) That's what they talked about with their friends, and as
we all know, word of mouth is the most effective form of advertis-
ing. Soon, to the delight of rail passengers everywhere, competition
between railroads had extended all the way into the dining car.
During the 1930s, '40s, and '50s—the exception being an
interruption for World War II—it wasn't unusual to have more
than a dozen entrees, including fresh fish and wild game, on a din-
ing car menu, plus a lavish selection of desserts. Many railroads
became known for specific dishes served in their dining cars. The
Great Northern's dining cars featured rainbow trout that were
caught, handed aboard moving trains, cooked, and served in the
space of just a few hours.
After World War II, the railroads did their best to regain pas-
senger business by promoting rail travel to the West. In addition
to traditional forms of advertising, many of the crack trains were
given what Easterners would perceive to be Indian names: Chief,
Super Chief, Scout, Hiawatha, and others.
The Golden Age
Beginning around 1890 and continuing until the outbreak of
World War II, Americans with the means to travel coast-to-coast
and between major U.S. cities were able to do so in real style. It
was a time that's come to be known as the golden age of train
travel, as dozens of railroads vied for passenger business with
crack trains that featured every manner of luxury and service.
The very, very rich—investment bankers, industrialists, the
railroad tycoons themselves, and others of that ilk—traveled in
their own private railcars. But until the railroads actually got into
the business of providing luxury rail travel, it was simply not