Winter Speaker Series

James D. Porterfield, DINING BY RAIL: The History and Recipes of America's Golden Age of Railroad Cuisine

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Feeding passengers was a problem for railroads almost from their inception. In this presentation, a talk with slides and items on display, Jim Porterfield, author of DINING BY RAIL: The History and Recipes of America's Golden Age of Railroad Cuisine, offers an informative and humorous account of how that practice evolved from passengers consuming road-kill to dining in award-winning first class restaurants on wheels. The talk is accompanied by the description of menu items selected at random by our guests, a question-and-answer session, and a book signing. An extensive bibliography of books and related items devoted to rail dining is provided for each guest. A display, including five items you likely have in your kitchen at home that originated in a dining car, and two free recipes complete the evening.

Free Admission for all winter speakers. Lectures are held in the Roundhouse Depot and do not include tours of the Roundhouse itself. Preregister online.

The roundhouse may be locked up for the cold winter months, but we are welcoming a lineup of knowledgeable presenters sure to please any offseason visitor with discussions on a variety of railroad topics. Join us at the Age of Steam Roundhouse throughout the offseason for our Winter Speaker Series in the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum Depot Visitor Center scheduled monthly December through April 2019-2020.