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Once upon a time, one of the best places in the world to eat was in the dining car of a first-class passenger train.
Chefs comparable to those in the best restaurants turned out delicious meals that were served on fine china set on crisp, white linen tablecloths. The ambiance was of a fine restaurant with impeccable service delivered even as the car swayed and bumped along the line.
Railroads competed tooth-and-nail for passengers back then, and a better-than-good dining car was essential in that competition. “Regulations and Instructions, Dining Car Service,” issued to employees by Union Pacific in the 1930s were typical of the kind of service expected.
“The steward of a dining car has charge of a small restaurant,” the instructions began. “To give the very highest class of service which is desired, a service which will be creditable to the Management and satisfactory to its patrons, the very best efforts of all employees on dining cars will be rendered. … Good cooking is absolutely necessary to a successful service.”
I was reminded of all of this when I found a faded “General Notice” from the Dining Car & Commissary Department of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. stuck between the pages of an old cookbook. It’s dated Aug. 8, 1961, and was intended for “all stewards, waiters-in-charge, cooks and waiters.”
Railroad travel was beginning to decline by then, and the dining car had become even more important as passenger trains made desperate efforts to hold on to riders.
Deluxe Maryland Crab Cakes top the list of recipes on the Baltimore & Ohio list, which could be expected for trains running next to Chesapeake Bay. The instructions are, “To each pound of crabmeat use one slice of white bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry. Break bread into small pieces and add one level teaspoon pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, one tablespoon dry mustard, one tablespoon mayonnaise, and one well beaten egg. Mix and form into seven cakes. Do not break up the large lumps of meat. Serve two cakes to the order.”
The Boiled Brisket of Beef with Horseradish Sauce calls for fresh brisket to be put into boiling salt water with a peeled onions, carrots and celery and cooked until tender, skimming as needed. The sauce required a roux made with a half cup of flour and a spoonful of butter. It was cooked for 10 minutes, and then a quart of broth strained from the brisket was added to it, along with a spoonful of horseradish and a spot of vinegar.
In its heyday, Southern Pacific’s famed Sunset Limited probably outshone the B&O. It was known for a cuisine inspired by Louisiana cooking, with favorites like gumbo, specially roasted coffees, and giant shrimp from the Gulf. A sumptuous Southern Pacific salad was such a point of pride that it was pictured on the line’s matchbook covers.
You’d find not only an array of chefs in a SP kitchen, but bakers and pie makers and other specialists. A 1939 SP menu included an appetizer of cream of chicken soup a la Reine; entrees such as poached filet of salmon, Southern fried chicken, and lamb basted with mint jelly; fresh vegetables, bran muffins or tea biscuits, and Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake or pie a la mode for dessert. The fresh-baked pies were sometimes served with a topping of ice cream made fresh on the train.
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, Cajuns and Other Characters, is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

ABBEVILLE - A Mass of Christian Burial for Paul Edward Joel Broussard, 86, took place at 3:00 PM Friday, July 16, 2021 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.
Interment followed in Our Lady of Lourdes Mausoleum.
Paul passed away Tuesday July 13, 2021 at St. Joseph Hospice Carpenter House.
He was Commodore of the Vermilion Boat Club for many years. He served two terms on the Police Jury. He was the owner of Abbeville Tractor. He enjoyed farming and attending farm expo shows. He also enjoyed boating and trawling for shrimp. He was a hard worker and worked until the last days of his life. He enjoyed staying busy and working on his projects. He enjoyed spending time at his boat landing talking with others.
He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Jackie H. Broussard of Abbeville, 2 sons, Thad Joel Broussard and wife Denise of Erath, Paul Neal Broussard of Abbeville, a daughter, Beth Marie Broussard of St. Louis ,Mo, 4 grandchildren, Leah Catherine Goodman and husband Archie of The Woodlands, TX, Jake Anthony Broussard and wife Lacey of Erath, Taylor Broussard of Houston, TX, Garrett Broussard of Abbeville, 3 great grandchildren, Mariette Goodman, Eli Broussard, and Kennedy Broussard.
He is preceded in death by his parents, P. Asa and Edith Champagne Broussard, his first wife, Bonnie Simon, grandchild, Colby John Broussard, brother, Asa W. Broussard, and a sister, Adella Guidry.
Serving as his Pallbearers will be Jake Broussard, Garrett Broussard, Taylor Broussard, Jimmy Broussard, Coy Durke, and Logan Primeaux.
Condolences may be shared with the family at www.davidfuneralhome.org
David Funeral Home of Abbeville was in charge of arrangements. 2600 Charity St. Abbeville, LA 70510 (337) 893-3777.

March 11, 1934 ~ July 14, 2021

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, July 17, 2021 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Dewey Joseph Meaux, 87, who died Wednesday, July 14, 2021 at The Carpenter House of St. Joseph Hospice.
He was laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery with Fr. Seth Lemaire officiating the services.
Dewey began his career as a milkman for the Vermilion Creamery. In 1995, he retired with 24 years of service with South Central Bell.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Elizabeth Sellers Meaux; daughters, Tina Broussard and her husband Mark, Wendy Baudoin and her husband Bryan, and Chris Ann Lapoint; son, Jason Meaux and his wife Christine (Sunshine); grandchildren, Brandy Broussard, Jessica Broussard Conner and her husband Jacob, Kyle Baudoin, Madison Baudoin, Amy Meaux, Holly Meaux, and Corey Meaux; honorary granddaughters, Lacey Meaux, and Seddy Boura; great-grandchildren, Jayden Conner, and Jace Conner.
He was preceded in death by his father, Lodias Meaux; mother, Louisiana Trahan Meaux; sisters, Rena Meaux, Ozite Meaux Duhon, Louise Meaux Ledet, and Annie Mae Meaux Abshire; brothers, Clarfey Meaux, Claudios Meaux, and Clarence Meaux; and grandson, Justin Taylor Baudoin.
The family would like to thank The Carpenter House of St. Joseph Hospice, especially, nurses Mary and Jeanie for their incredible compassion and quality care.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements were conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

Is that rain?
At the rate things have been going, it probably is.
Now, with the help of a recently completed drainage project, rain doesn’t mean the intersection of East Lafayette Street and South Louisiana Street will turn into a standing pond.
Abbeville City Councilman Brady Broussard Jr., who represents the area, said the project has already proven its worth.
“In the rainy season we are now in,” Broussard said, “it was not long to hear of the success of this drainage improvement project. Business owners in the S. Louisiana and Lafayette Street area have seen an intersection that no longer gets so much water on the street that intersection was sometimes closed.
“We are happy for those businesses and residents in both areas that can see the positive results of this project that was a decade in planning and state funding and implementation.”
The final walkthrough inspection took place on Tuesday. Work began a few weeks ago, and was originally expected to go into August.
“The contractor (LA-Contracting Enterprise, LLC) has exceeded expectations and finished ahead of schedule,” Broussard said.
The results are clear.
“When rain formerly stayed on the roads for some time in these areas, that is no longer the case,” Broussard said. “I received calls that water was receding from roadways much quicker than before the project.”
Piazza agreed.
“I took a picture that shows Lafayette Street after a torrential downpour,” Piazza said during last week’s city council meeting. “It shows that the sidewalks are visible. I don’t think I have ever seen the sidewalks without water on them after a torrential rain.
“This project obviously works very, very well.”
City Engineer Richard Primeaux said there are numerous features to the project that make it work.
“We added storage,” Primeaux said. “That was the key to making this work. We added storage and added inlets to get the water inside, so it wouldn’t affect people down stream. We have 30-inche pipes. It looks big, but it’s because we needed to add storage to accommodate further down line.
“That’s why you’re seeing the water go into the pipe, and not stay on top of the road and cover the intersection.”
This is the second major drainage project the city has taken on this year. Contractors made improvements around Second Street in May.
“Another part of the drainage improvements for the Godchaux Park area includes the Drainage Board cleaning Dick Hunter Coulee so it can carry more water out to the river,” Broussard said. “When the weather dries up, citizens should soon see asphalt patching and overlay for areas of the drainage project that required road cuts.”
While Mother Nature continues to throw plenty of rain the city’s way, drainage improvements are standing up to the test.
“The positive comments have come in to me, the Mayor (Mark Piazza) and city hall for weeks now,” Broussard said. “With these present thunderstorms that are dumping inches of rain on our city, compliments from Fifth Street, Franks Alley, Third and Fourth have all indicated immediate improvements are evident.”