I can’t see Amtrak restoring full, made-from-scratch dining service to eastern single-level trains. I can see them going to a semi-fresh menu of parcooked entrees and fresh vegetables; even the Amfleet Diner Lite has a capable enough kitchen to serve something approaching full meals.
$1m a pop seems excessive, obviously. I feel that $100k per conversion is possible though, allowing for continued fresh food preparation as well. Cut a hole in the back wall for a cafe window, cover over any appliances in the way, install whatever shelves are needed, and call it done.
Perhaps Amtrak can call in some options from CAF too. It’s worth a shot to see if they can solve their need for new single-level LD food service cars.
$1m a pop seems excessive, obviously. I feel that $100k per conversion is possible though, allowing for continued fresh food preparation as well. Cut a hole in the back wall for a cafe window, cover over any appliances in the way, install whatever shelves are needed, and call it done.
Perhaps Amtrak can call in some options from CAF too. It’s worth a shot to see if they can solve their need for new single-level LD food service cars.