American railroads provided some of the best meals in the country from the late 1800s through the 1970s aboard a wide-roaming fleet of railroad dining cars. The ability to serve hundreds of passengers three restaurant-quality meals a day while traveling at speeds up to 100 miles per hour is a story worth telling and worth recreating. These five-star meals utilized the finest locally sourced ingredients and were freshly prepared on board the moving train. They were served on heavy china at a table with the finest linens, polished silver, and elegant glassware. The chefs, waiters, and stewards were well-versed in providing the best level of service and hospitality possible.

The Dining Car Society (DCS) was formed in 2001 as the Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society (ELDCPS) to preserve the history of the classic railroad dining car experience through the restoration, operation, and interpretation of vintage railroad dining artifacts and equipment. The name was changed to DCS in 2022, and in early 2024, DCS merged with Operation Toy Train to form TOYX, Inc. DCS continues today as a project of TOYX.

DCS currently operates original Lackawanna dining car #469 out of the TOYX-operated Erie Turntable site in Port Jervis, New York. The restoration of this car is nearly complete, and the car is available for use as a rolling restaurant. The DCS strives to maintain as much authenticity as possible and operates the #469 exactly as the Lackawanna did, utilizing detailed reproductions of the original pattern china, flatware, coffee pots, teapots, sugar bowls, and water pitchers.

We welcome you to join our Society or visit us for a nostalgic meal! We welcome new volunteers of all ages and skill levels who are interested in everything from welding to the culinary arts. And as always, our restorations move at the speed of money - consider a financial contribution to our society today!