Location: Outdoor Platform 1
The X-4045 diner car, created for the B&O Railroad by the Pullman Company in 1925, captures a glimpse of the luxury dining experience on the B&O through a collection of fine china and utensils used by passengers and wait staff. Both regional and national examples of railroad dining china are on display. Highlights include excellent examples of the B&O “Centenary China”, and the “B&O Blue China”, which was produced for the 100th anniversary of the B&O in 1927 and is one of the most celebrated designs of railroad china. This car was generously donated by Chessie System Railroads to the Maryland State Railroad administration in 1985, and was made possible with support from McCormick & Company, Inc., Bon Secours Baltimore Health System, and Banks Contracting Co.
Also on display in the dining car are a series of wall panels that detail the roles of African-American men as porters, baggage handlers, brakemen, and more specifically as waiters and chefs on the railroad. Due to the systemic racism with which they were faced, African-American men were limited in their employment options and forced to accept the low-paying and grueling labor required to operate the dining cars. The panels detail the tribulations faced by these workers while employed in the dining cars and their incredible perseverance in the face of adversity, which eventually led to greater equality in the workforce.
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