Dining Cars and Catering
Dining Cars and Catering
In the early days catering was provide on major mainline routes by providing 'Refreshment Rooms' at selected major stations.
It was only later that all the major trains, like the Grand Trunk Express, the Frontier Mail and the Deccan Queen, had luxurious dining cars attached. The caterers were British companies [1], quoting Malcolm Murphy in The Last Children of the Raj [2].
- South Indian Railway catering was provided by Spencer & Co Ltd, Madras. The arrangement for catering service is is fully described in "The Illustrated Guide to the South Indian Railway"[3] of 1900 which gives details of arrangements for 'Refreshment Rooms' at certain stations and the method of pre-ordering and reserving Refreshment Room seating.
- North Western Railway 'Refreshment Room' service was provided by Spencer & Co Ltd Madras [2]
- Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway 'Refreshment Room' service was provided by Spencer & Co Ltd, Madras [2][4]
- Mysore State Railway 'Refreshment Room' service was provided by Spencer & Co Ltd, Madras[4].
- East India Railway catering was provided by G.F. Kellner & Co[2]
- Great Indian Peninsula Railway catering was provided by Brandon[2].
- Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway catering was provided by Brandon[2].
- Bengal Nagpur Railway was the only railway to undertake its own catering[2].
Later History
G.F. Kellner & Co was aquired by Spencer & Co Ltd in 1929[5].
References
- ↑ “Refreshing the railways: Regional foods may reinvent pantry cars" by Vikram Doctor. 25 Feb 2016 The Economic Times; Retrieved 25 May 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "The Last Children of the Raj - British Children's Childhoods in India 1919-1939" compiled by Laurence Fleming, Radcliffe Press,2004. Reproduced by Google Books . Page 24 account by Malcolm Murphy; Retrieved 25 May 2016
- ↑ "The Illustrated Guide to the South Indian Railway" by South Indian Railway Company Ltd, 1900 reproduced by Google Books, 2015; Retrieved 25 May 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Madras Tercentenary Commemoration Volume by the Madras Tercentenary Celebration Committee, page 274; Retrieved 25 May 2016
- ↑ Madras High Court- Spencer & Co. Ltd., Madras vs The Commissioner Of Wealth Tax ... on 13 December, 1967; Retrieved 25 May 2016