To celebrate the centennial of the joining of the first transcontinental railroad, Union Pacific commissioned sixteen paintings from the then-preeminent railroad painter, Howard Fogg. The paintings ranged historically from the Last Spike ceremony to modern domeliner and freight trains.
Click image to download a 3.7-MB PDF of this menu.
UP used these paintings on its annual calendar–which was larger than normal that year–as well as on menus and other passenger items. This breakfast menu uses the Gold Spike painting. Unlike most Last Spike portraits, which show the two locomotives from the side, Fogg painted this one to prominently feature the UP locomotive while the Central Pacific locomotive is off in the distance.
The menu itself offers meals that include fruit juice or cereal; one egg; plus an entrée such as ham, bacon, sausage, roast beef hash, pancakes, or French toast for $2 (about $12.50 in today’s money). A second egg was an extra 25 cents; delete the entrée and just have two eggs was 25 cents less. A la carte items included broiled lamb chops; grilled fish; brook trout; kippered herring; and the usual egg and other breakfast items.