The Café Lafayette Dinner Train History
The Café Lafayette Dinner Train has been in operation since 1989 under the ownership of Lance Burak and Leslie Holloway. There are about 20 moving dinner trains in all of North America, making The Café Lafayette Dinner Train a very unique and unusual attraction in the Lincoln and North Woodstock area.
Indian Waters, #221
The "Indian Waters" dining car is a beautifully restored 1924 Pullman dining car originally built for the New York Central. The car was rebuilt from the trucks up in the Winnipesaukee Rail Yard by skilled craftsman and the previous owner in the mid 1980's. It operated for two years on the Winnipesaukee Railroad and was moved to Lincoln in the summer of 1988. It then operated for one year on the Hobo Railroad before it was purchased by the current owners, Lance Burak and Leslie Holloway. They continued to operate the "Indian Waters" from the rail station until the summer of 1998 when the Café Lafayette Dinner Train was moved to the new location at the "Eagle's Nest".
Granite Eagle, #2211
The "Granite Eagle", originally built for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad, operating from St. Louis Missouri to San Antonio Texas in the mid 1950's on the "Texas Eagle". She was then acquired by the Illinois RR and run on train #1, "The City of New Orleans". The unusual dome car was purchased in Pittsburgh Kansas in the late fall of 1995. It was brought across the United States by rail and refurbished in the engine house of the Hobo Railroad during the winter of 1996. Leslie, Lance and their two chefs, Doug Trulson and Scott Buckland along with a friend Tom Sabourn, made the impossible happen; taking only six months to rebuild exterior steel, design and restore the interior, install new windows, and give this magnificent car a royal blue and white paint job, then renaming her the "Granite Eagle". Check out the views of the refurbish process here...
Algonquin, #3207
The "Algonquin", a 1953 X-CNR Café Coach was purchased in 1995 from the Canadian Government. Used as a storage car for several years the need for a dance car to celebrate New Years 2000 arose. Refurbishment began in the summer of 1999, and now its spacious and open interior makes it perfect for private parties and corporate outings.

Located in Historic
North Woodstock
New Hampshire

www.cafelafayette.com
www.nhdinnertrain.com
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