The New Haven RR Image Page -- Modern Dining Car China

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Modern NHRR Dining Car China

October 1st, 1999

The New Haven Railroad utilized a number of different dining car china patterns during its 'modern' era, defined for the purposes of this web page as the period between 1920 and the Penn Central merger effective January 1st, 1969. Dining car china from the collection of Marc Frattasio.

The so-called 'Indian Tree' pattern china was used on New Haven Railroad dining cars between about 1920 and 1940. Indian Tree china was used by the Pullman Company as well as by the New Haven Railroad. The Indian Tree pattern china used on the New Haven was supplied by Buffalo, Shenango, and Syracuse and was always backstamped with the railroad's name or initials.

In 1937 the New Haven ordered five grill cars from the Osgood-Bradley division of Pullman Standard. The grill cars served 'fast food' such as sandwiches, hamburgers, milk-shakes, etc. A special china pattern was ordered for the grill cars from Buffalo which featured artwork of a Baldwin I-5 streamlined steam locomotive hauling two Osgood-Bradley lightweight passenger cars on three different sized plates. This pattern was used between 1937 and 1952, when the original five grill cars were transformed into coaches.

In 1938 the New Haven Railroad updated a number of heavyweight dining cars in an effort to match the standards set by the new Osgood-Bradley grill cars. As part of this modernization effort, the Indian Tree pattern china was replaced by an art-deco pattern called 'Platinum Blue'. The Platinum Blue pattern china, which was supplied by Buffalo and Scammell, remained in service on the New Haven Railroad through the Penn Central merger. In later years, a plain blue china called 'Caribe' was purchased by the New Haven to replace broken Platinum Blue pieces.

This New Haven Railroad dining car china is a bit of a mystery. The only articles of ware in this pattern which were marked with the New Haven Railroad name (on the top) were the large dinner plates. All other items in this pattern had the blue stripe and New England village scene but lacked railroad identification. This pattern was purchased for use on the Yankee Clipper and Merchant's Limited when both trains were streamlined during the late 1940s. This pattern was supplied by McNicol.

This single-serving baked bean pot was used on New Haven Railroad dining cars between 1955 and the Penn Central merger. Note the crude rubber stamped marking on the front of the bean pot. This crude rubber stamped marking is normal for these bean pots, in fact, the example shown here features a better than average marking!