Worcester Lunch Car Company

File:Worcester Lunch Car Company factory manufacturing building in Worcester Massachusetts MA USA.jpg

File:Miss worcester.jpg (1948) remains across from the former factory headquarters]]

In 1906 Philip H. Duprey and Grenville Stoddard established the Worcester Lunch Car and Carriage Manufacturing Company, which shipped 'diners' all over the Eastern Seaboard. It was named for Worcester, Massachusetts, where the company was based. The first manufactured lunch wagons with seating appeared throughout the Northeastern US in the late 19th century, serving busy downtown locations without the need to buy expensive real estate. It is generally accepted that the name "diner" as opposed to "lunch wagon" was not widely used before 1925. The company produced 651 diners between 1906 and 1957, when manufacturing ceased. All of Worcester Lunch Car's assets were auctioned in 1961.

File:Day and Night Diner.jpg

File:Rosebud Diner, Somerville.jpg (1941)]]

Many diners still exist in the Worcester area, including Casey's Diner (1922) in nearby Natick and the Boulevard Diner (1936) in Worcester as well as Miss Florence Diner (1941) all of which are some of the oldest diners in the country and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Miss Florence Diner, one of the longest running and still operational train car style diners was first established in 1941 when Maurice and Pauline Florence Alexander opened the doors of the diner. While originally situated across the street, the diner found its forever home on 99 Main Street, Florence, MA (a village in Northampton, MA) later that same year. Now under new ownership, Miss Florence Diner still offers breakfast and lunch seven days a week and dinner seasonally. 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.{{cite book|title=Diners of New England|author=Randy Garbin|publisher=Stackpole Books|date=2005|isbn=0-8117-3141-3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/dinersofnewengla00rand}}{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dinersofnewengla00rand |url-access=registration |title=Diners of New England |via=Internet Archive |publisher=Stackpole Books |author=Randy Garbin |date=2005-03-01 |isbn=978-0-8117-3141-6 |access-date=2017-03-18}} The Elmwood 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, Rhode Island. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 {{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/weekly_features/CentralDiner.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form : Central Diner |website=Nps.gov |access-date=2017-03-18}}

Worcester Lunch Car Company #821 is still in its original location at 53 Park Street in Adams, Massachusetts. The former "Miss Adams diner" was sold to a couple in 2013 who operate it as Izzy's Diner and Pizza, a full service diner and pizza shop, and still contains many original items including the original Worcester Lunch Car Clock. The car is slowly being restored to look as it did originally. In August 2020, the diner was purchased by a local restaurateur. {{Cite web|url=https://wupe.com/a-new-owner-for-the-adams-diner-will-bring-diner-fare-back-to-adams/|title=A New Owner For The Adams Diner Will Bring Diner Fare Back To Adams|website=WUPE|date=September 2020 }}

While most of their diners were located in New England some were purchased as far away as Florida. {{cn|date=November 2017}} 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.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-AYRZieQtkC |title=The Worcester Lunch Car Company |author=Richard J. S. Gutman |year=2004 |publisher=Arcadia |isbn=9780738535838 |access-date=2017-03-18}}

• A-1 Diner, Gardiner, Maine
• Miss Portland Diner – WLCC No. 818, 1949

• Lloyd's Diner, 184 Fountain St, Framingham, Massachusetts{{Cite web | url=https://www.framinghamma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/33288/CRI-Dec-2018-FINAL | title=Framingham Cultural Resource Inventory - City of Framingham, Massachusetts | website=www.framinghamma.gov}}
• Blue Point Restaurant, 6 Dayton Street, Acushnet, Massachusetts{{cite web|title=Welcome to the Blue Point Restaurant located in Acushnet, MA!|url=https://www.bluepointrestaurantma.com/index.htm|website=Blue Point Restaurant|access-date=22 April 2018|quote=The main dining room of the Blue Point Restaurant is an original Worcester Dining Car, built at the Worcester factory in the 1930s. It was delivered by rail to New Bedford and opened as The Diner Blue Point Restaurant Eat-At BarDeluxe in 1939}}
• Club Diner, Dutton Street, Lowell, Massachusetts{{cite web|title=Lowell Diner Cars: Breakfast Served With a Side of History|url=http://howlmag.com/downtowns-diner-cars-serve-a-side-of-history/|website=Howl Magazine|access-date=22 April 2018}}
• Owl Diner, Appleton Street, Lowell, Massachusetts{{cite web|title=Owl Diner|url=https://theowldiner.com/|website=The Owl Diner|access-date=27 November 2018}}
• Day and Night Diner, Route 20, Palmer, Massachusetts (Worcester Lunch Car #781, 1944){{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JzVq6D6nQsUC&dq=%22day+and+night%22+diner+781&pg=PT152|title=Diners Of New England|first=Randy|last=Garbin|date=March 4, 2005|publisher=Stackpole Books|isbn=9780811731416|via=Google Books}}{{cite web|title=Day and Night Diner Palmer MA – Vintage Diner in Downtown|url=http://retroroadmap.com/spot/day-and-night-diner-palmer-ma-vintage-downtown-diner/|website=Retro Roadmap|access-date=22 April 2018}}

• Dinky’s Blue Belle Diner, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts (Worcester Lunch Car #814)
• Lanna Thai Diner, Woburn, Massachusetts{{cite news|title=Ten diners stamped 'Worcester'|url=http://archive.boston.com/travel/explorene/massachusetts/articles/2010/03/07/ten_diners_stamped_worcester/?page=2|access-date=22 April 2018|publisher=Boston Globe|date=7 March 2010}}
• Miss Adams Diner, Adams, Massachusetts (Worcester Lunch Car #821)
• Portside Diner, Danvers, Massachusetts (Worcester Lunch Car #813, 1948)
• Black Cat Diner, formerly Pilgrim Diner, Salem, Massachusetts (Worcester Lunch Car #725, 1936)

File:Daddypops Tumble Inn Diner, Claremont, New Hampshire after fire.jpg

• 4 Aces Diner, Bridge St, West Lebanon, New Hampshire{{cite web|title=15 Best Diners in New England|url=https://newengland.com/today/travel/new-england/places-to-eat/best-diners-new-england/|website=New England Today|publisher=Yankee Magazine|access-date=22 April 2018}}
• Daddypops Tumble Inn Diner, Main Street, Claremont NH
• Gilleys Diner (1940), Portsmouth, NH{{cn|date=February 2022}}
• Peterborough Diner (1950s), Peterborough, NH{{cite web |title=About Us |url=http://peterboroughdiner.com/about/ |website=Peterborough Diner |access-date=2 February 2022}}
• Joanne's Kitchen (1920s), Nashua, NH{{cite web|title=Main St. mainstay welcomes diners|url=https://www.nashuatelegraph.com/life/health-lifestyle/2015/11/27/main-st-mainstay-welcomes-diners/|website=The Nashua Telegraph|publisher=The Nashua Telegraph|access-date=26 December 2024}}

• Bolton Beans, Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing, New York. Originally Mancini’s in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1961 became Don’s Diner in Plainville, Massachusetts. In 1969 moved to North Attleboro, Massachusetts as Red Rock Hill Diner. In 1989 moved to Bolton Landing as Bolton Beans.{{cite web |title=Historical Bolton Beans |url=https://boltonbeans.net/history |website=Bolton Bean |access-date=1 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727002506/https://boltonbeans.net/history |archive-date=27 July 2021}}

File:Miss Lorraine Diner, Pawtucket Rhode Island.jpg

• Jigger’s Hill and Harbour Diner, Main Street, East Greenwich, Rhode Island
• Miss Lorraine Diner, Mineral Spring Avenue, Pawtucket (Worcester Lunch Car No. 774), formerly Donwell's Diner in Hartford, CT{{cite web |title=Miss Lorraine Diner (Donwell's Diner) |url=https://www.macrostiehistoric.com/miss-lorraine-diner |website=MacRostie Historic Advisors LLC |access-date=13 November 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Coelho |first1=Jamie |title=Miss Lorraine Diner Opens at Pawtucket's Lorraine Mills |url=https://www.rimonthly.com/miss-lorraine-diner-opens-at-pawtuckets-lorraine-mills/ |access-date=10 November 2021 |publisher=Rhode Island Monthly |date=28 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116140632/https://www.rimonthly.com/miss-lorraine-diner-opens-at-pawtuckets-lorraine-mills/ |archive-date=16 January 2021}}

• Athens Diner, formerly Libby's Blue Line Diner, originally The Casu Diner in Turner's Falls, Mass.{{cite news |title=One of last Worcester Lunch Car diners closes |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/business/names-faces/2011/11/01/one-last-worcester-lunch-car/49850534007/ |access-date=1 August 2022 |agency=The Associated Press |publisher=Telegram & Gazette |date=1 November 2011}} (Worcester Lunch Car #838, 1953)
• Chelsea Royal Diner, West Brattleboro, Vermont
• Parkway Diner, South Burlington, Vermont{{cn|date=February 2022}}
• Miss Bellows Falls Diner, Bellows Falls, Vermont (Worcester Lunch Car #771, 1941){{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=83003226}}|title=NRHP nomination for Miss Bellows Falls Diner|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2021-11-12}}
• Windsor Diner, Windsor Vermont (Worcester Lunch Car #835, 1952){{cn|date=May 2023}}

• List of diners
• Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company
• Wilson's Diner

{{Reflist}}

{{commonscat|Worcester Lunch Car Company}}

• [https://books.google.com/books?id=o-AYRZieQtkC Gutman's The Worcester Lunch Car Company]
• [http://www.nps.gov/resources/site.htm?id=18278 Liberty Elm Diner]

Category:1906 establishments in Massachusetts

Category:Diner manufacturers

Category:Companies based in Worcester, Massachusetts

Category:Companies established in 1906

{{Diners |state=expanded}}