The New Haven RR Image Page -- Menu Covers of the 1940s Era

The 'image page' is where we put a changing variety of New Haven Railroad photographs and advertising material for you to enjoy. Be sure to check back here often because we plan to refresh these images on a regular basis.

Menu Covers Of The 1940s Era

In this "image page" we'll take a look at some typical Dining Car Department menu covers that were used during the 1940s. This was the last decade before the New Haven switched to standardized magazine format menus provided to the railroad by Transportation Displays Incorporated, or TDI, the TDI timetable people. All menus from the collection of Marc Frattasio.

Early grill car menu covers from the immediate pre-war period (this example is from 1940) featured a photograph of an attendant holding a tray. The New Haven's grill cars, which were introduced in late 1937, were famous for having been crewed by a team of female attendants and supervised by a female hostess.

The interior of the grill car menu presented above is shown here. Note the insert clipped in at the upper left corner to show the specials of the day. Often, the specials, which were known as "grill car plates" on the grill cars, were made up using food items left over from the previous day's business.

This is a standard wartime menu cover design that was used by the New Haven on both diners and grill cars. Such menus featured sepia-toned artwork from old engravings of subject matter from 18th and 19th century New England history. This particular example is a grill car menu from 1943.

This menu is from 1947. Early postwar menu covers, such as this example, often featured artwork depicting an Alco-GE DL-109 diesel, a Baldwin I-5 streamlined steamer, and a GE EP-4 streamlined electric. Up through the late 1940s these were the typical locomotives that passengers would encounter during the course of a train trip between Boston and New York City.

Morning trains that carried diners or grill cars employed a special breakfast menu. This example, from 1949, depicts a passenger train composed of pre-war lightweight cars being hauled by a Baldwin I-5 class streamlined steam locomotive. By this late date the I-5s had been taken off regular passenger runs due to the recent delivery of Alco-GE PA-1 diesels and were being used in stand-by service.

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THE IMAGE PAGE

Menu Covers Of The 1940s Era

PAST IMAGE PAGES

The NHRHTA web site is © 2004 the New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association, Inc. Do you have comments about our web site? Contact the NHRHTA webmaster. For other NHRHTA questions, check our NHRHTA contacts page.

The NHRHTA web site is © 2004 the New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association, Inc.
Do you have comments about our web site? Contact the NHRHTA webmaster.
For other NHRHTA questions, check our NHRHTA contacts page.