Just a sample of the beautiful work John does, from Massachusetts to New Jersey... just photographing diners. That is very cool!
His website has 101 so far, so go take a look! http://www.jwoolf.com/portfolios/nightroad/ learned about if from http://retroroadmap.com/spot/night-road-diner-photos-by-photographer-john-woolf-exhibit-extended-at-the-national-heritage-museum-lexington-ma/
Worcester Lunch Car Company
Philip H. Duprey founded the company in 1906 as the Worcester Lunch Car and Carriage Manufacturing Company. It was named for Worcester, Massachusetts, where the company was based.The company produced over 600 diners between 1906 and 1957, when manufacturing ceased. All of Worcester Lunch Car's assets were auctioned in 1961.
While most of their diners were located in New England some were purchased as far away as Florida. The Miss Worcester Diner (1948) still exists in its original location across the street from the former factory. The Rosebud (1941) is an example at 381 Summer Street in Somerville, Massachusetts near Davis Square.
The Liberty Elm Diner (originally known as Central Diner) is Worcester Lunch Car Company #806 built in 1947 and moved to its current location in 1953 where is still operates in the Elmwood section of Providence RI. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010
The Henry Ford Museum in Michigan contains a notable example of a Worcester Lunch Car diner called Lamy's, built in 1946. In January 2012, Lamy's once again began serving food. Many surviving Worcester Lunch Car diners are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Having grown up in the Boston area, gone to college in Worcester, and eaten at many of the diners pictured, I can assure you that very few (in fact, only 2 or 3 of the 101 in the gallery) were ever actual railroad cars. These prefabricated diners were manufactured by several factories, the most famous of which was the Worcester Lunch Car Company, then delivered to the site by flat car and/or truck. They are nonetheless very cool, and many have been lovingly restored in recent years...
ReplyDeleteWell, how about that.. I haven't heard about that before, thanks! Sure appreciate the education! It's astonishing how a fad begins, and then imitators jump in on it... but it makes sense to get a prefab diner than adapt a railcar.
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