The first dome car in the Canadian had a small kitchen beneath the dome and a coffee shop/lounge behind the dome. While each of the dome-observation cars were named after individual national parks and had interior decorations specific to those parks, the first domes were all called “Skyline” and were identically decorated.
Click image to download a 0.8-MB PDF of this menu.
Here is a 1964 menu for the Skyline car. It includes a table d’hôte dinner featuring “poached fresh fish,” “sugar-cured ham,” or “cold plate, garnished,” with soup, vegetables, roll, dessert, and beverage for $2.25 (about $15 today). The a la carte side includes “minced sirloin of beef” or “chef’s selection” for $1.60 (about $11 today); cold salmon or fruit salad with ice cream for $1.20 ($8); or a variety of sandwiches from $0.45 to $0.85 ($3 to $6).
At least the cook in didn’t have to deal with things like scrambled brains or sweetbreads like the guys in the diner did. It’s not just CPR, but most railroads in the 1960’s just never caught on to the cheeseburger and french fry thing. McDonald’s was already a popular restaurant in 1964, so they already had the stage set for them. Burgers and fries were popular, easy to make as well as fast, and profitable. I don’t really get it, but I think it’s one little vignette of why rail passenger service failed.
Jim