Pizza Delivery to Train

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You can try it, but make sure you do it at a station with open access, a smoke stop, and a plan to speed the transaction. If the Pizza guy is doing this, he should get a huge tip. He is risking a sizable chance of no delivery, and most places I know around here operate by having the pizzaboy buy the pizza, essentially. So I'd find one where there is a smoke stop, open access, come out with a $50 bill in hand, take the pizza, hand him the bill, and get the hell back on the train.
 
This reminds me of a recent funny story... :)

On a recent trip on the Empire Builder we got into Minot, ND about 50 minutes early. I and 2 other passengers around my age decided to check out the town and maybe find a pizza buffet to get a few slices of pie to bring back to the train. We didn't see much in downtown Minot... so we stopped in a gas station... and a guy directed us to a building a couple of blocks down. We walked to the building and it either looked like a warehouse or strip club because it had no windows on 3 of its sides. Finally, the fourth side said "Pizza Palace" and there was a small down. The stench inside was bad... but we walked down the stairs. It was like a generic version of Chuck E. Cheese or something -- except no one was inside. One teen girl was working there and she looked like she bored as hell... Anyway, the buffet was "down"... but she said she could put something in the warmer for us. With about 20 minutes until the train was to leave we passed.

Pretty wild.

If you get time in Minot check it out. Hahaha.
 
A better station to do this would be Jacksonville, but I doubt you would want pizza in the morning, so I would do it on the return trip. They sit in Jacksonville for 20 minutes not only to change crews, but to refuel. It gives you plenty of time, but Jacksonville station isn't exactly in the center of town so you'll have to search a bit.
 
There is a road crossing on the CSX (former L&N) main line in Smyrna, Ga. that has a Pizza Hut across the street from the mainline. Freight trains that stop at Smyrna for meets or for trains ahead hold at that crossing to keep from disturbing a large residential area nearby with idling locomotives. Anyway, several crews have the number to the Pizza Hut, and they'll call ahead and order a pizza if they know they'll be there more than a few minutes. They just tell the Pizza Hut people to look for "Engine 4808" or whatever the number happens to be. A server comes out to the locomotive steps and hands the order up.
 
I have personally seen pizza being delivered to the Empire Builder while at the stop in Shelby, Montana. According to the conductor, it is so regular an occurrence that they don't even bat an eye when a pizza delivery guy walks up and stands at the platform with an order.
 
Saw this happen a few months ago at Havre. The pizza guy pulled up near the locomotives and sauntered down to the coach cars. After looking around the crowd for a bit, a guy raised his arm and flagged him over to do the deal.

I have to say that the whole thing reminded me a little bit of Jeff Spicoli's pizza delivery to his U.S History class, much to the chagrin of Mr Hand.

jeffhand-L.jpg
 
I remember seeing, many years ago, a freight train stopped at a McDonald's and seeing the ?conductor? walking back to the train with his purchase.

I can't remember for sure which direction the train was headed, though I think it was going east/north so that meant it had to be a short consist otherwise it would have been blocking a few roads down the track. If it had been heading the other direction, it could have been a long consist.

This was in Newark, DE.
 
I am a bit surprised to never seen a pizza guy walking thur the crowds selling pizza at a service stop. At one of our terminals we had a pizza guy come thur twice a day (or more) selling pizza, he brings in a bunch of pies and sell them to anyone hanging out in the break room. The on spot price was allways cheaper that what you pay for a custom order, and deliver. Good volume of sales too. We clean him out several times. Truck drivers are too lazy to walk two blocks for dinner.
 
AmtrakBlue said:
I remember seeing, many years ago, a freight train stopped at a McDonald's and seeing the ?conductor? walking back to the train with his purchase.

I can't remember for sure which direction the train was headed, though I think it was going east/north so that meant it had to be a short consist otherwise it would have been blocking a few roads down the track. If it had been heading the other direction, it could have been a long consist.

This was in Newark, DE.
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I once bicycled by the McDonalds near my house. There's a railroad branch line behind it, which had two locomotives running light idling on it. The engineer was trudging back to the engines with his bag of food and a soda.
 
Just-Thinking-51 said:
I am a bit surprised to never seen a pizza guy walking thur the crowds selling pizza at a service stop. At one of our terminals we had a pizza guy come thur twice a day (or more) selling pizza, he brings in a bunch of pies and sell them to anyone hanging out in the break room. The on spot price was allways cheaper that what you pay for a custom order, and deliver. Good volume of sales too. We clean him out several times. Truck drivers are too lazy to walk two blocks for dinner.
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Last January when our northbound Texas Eagle arrived SAS for the night a pizza guy was on platform selling some very good decent size pizzas for just $5. They didn't last long.
 
AmtrakBlue said:
I remember seeing, many years ago, a freight train stopped at a McDonald's and seeing the ?conductor? walking back to the train with his purchase.

I can't remember for sure which direction the train was headed, though I think it was going east/north so that meant it had to be a short consist otherwise it would have been blocking a few roads down the track. If it had been heading the other direction, it could have been a long consist.

This was in Newark, DE.
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if it works for pizza i wonder if u call a jewish deli and ordered a corn beef on rye with a dill pickle and see if they would deliver or u can call a chinessee resturant and order a take out dinner and get delivery if u use your credit card and your train is late your only out the food they are allready paid
 
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wabbitt said:
AmtrakBlue said:
I remember seeing, many years ago, a freight train stopped at a McDonald's and seeing the ?conductor? walking back to the train with his purchase.

I can't remember for sure which direction the train was headed, though I think it was going east/north so that meant it had to be a short consist otherwise it would have been blocking a few roads down the track. If it had been heading the other direction, it could have been a long consist.

This was in Newark, DE.
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if it works for pizza i wonder if u call a jewish deli and ordered a corn beef on rye with a dill pickle and see if they would deliver or u can call a chinessee resturant and order a take out dinner and get delivery if u use your credit card and your train is late your only out the food they are allready paid
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I have a few ethnic jokes going through my head but I better keep them to myself. LOL!
 
My one walking away from the train for food was when I was stuck on the Portland section of the EB waiting for the Seattle section that had gotten stuck going through the Cascades (we finally left around 6:30am just before daybreak). Via my iPhone I found a diner open until 4am and went there at about 3:15 for some pancakes and coffee (had to be awake for Idaho in daylight) a few other passengers had gone there earlier and I had a funny chat with the staff. I then went on a nice wonder through downtown Spokane.
 
And don't forget the Burrito Lady who greets the westbound Sunset Limited at ELP. She gets swamped with pax and crew and often sells out before she can get everyone served.
 
Many years ago I was working on train 304 which at the time was an RTG Turboliner, There were 6 cars instead of the usual 5 as it was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The train was SRO, the conductor had collected over 400 tickets with 364 seats and this was leaving Alton. I talked to the agent at Alton and had her call the Springfield agent to have a large pizza delivered to the rear cab as it was where the crew was located. The pizzeria was just across the street from the depot and the rear cab stopped on the street crossing. When we arrived the owner came out and had a 20 foot walk to the cab. He thought it was fantastic and refused to take any money! Dinner was pizza and cartons of drinking water from the cab refrigerator.
 
benjibear said:
Interesting old thread. I wonder if the OP ever got his pizza?
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I am glad to see my 3 year old post resurrected, and with over 3000 views. No I never got my pizza. I do have a bunch of LD trips coming up so I will try and pull it off and will document the event with pictures if successful!
 
It's not Pizza, but the Crews on the Texas Eagles often call ahead to Taylor Cafe in Taylor, Texas and order Bar-B-Q To Go! Since the Joint is across the Street from the so called Depot, (it's actually a Shed with Two Picnic Tables! :eek: ), when the Train rolls in a Delivery Person brings the Order to the Platform and either the Conductor or the Cook! :lol: picks it up and pays!! I was just there yesterday, I had Chicken, the Crew had Brisket and Ribs!!! :wub:

BTW -ther Owner, Macil Mares, a WWII Vet, is 89 Years Young :excl: :excl: :excl: :excl: and he's been operating the place since 1949, never missed a day in 63 years!!! :cool: :excl: :excl: :excl:
 
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jimhudson said:
It's not Pizza, but the Crews on the Texas Eagles often call ahead to Taylor Cafe in Taylor, Texas and order Bar-B-Q To Go! Since the Joint is across the Street from the so called Depot, (it's actually a Shed with Two Picnic Tables! :eek: ), when the Train rolls in a Delivery Person brings the Order to the Platform and either the Conductor or the Cook! :lol: picks it up and pays!! I was just there yesterday, I had Chicken, the Crew had Brisket and Ribs!!! :wub:

BTW -ther Owner, Macil Mares, a WWII Vet, is 89 Years Young :excl: :excl: :excl: :excl: and he's been operating the place since 1949, never missed a day in 63 years!!! :cool: :excl: :excl: :excl:
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how was the chicken was it good
 
jimhudson said:
It's not Pizza, but the Crews on the Texas Eagles often call ahead to Taylor Cafe in Taylor, Texas and order Bar-B-Q To Go! Since the Joint is across the Street from the so called Depot, (it's actually a Shed with Two Picnic Tables! :eek: ), when the Train rolls in a Delivery Person brings the Order to the Platform and either the Conductor or the Cook! :lol: picks it up and pays!! I was just there yesterday, I had Chicken, the Crew had Brisket and Ribs!!! :wub:

BTW -ther Owner, Macil Mares, a WWII Vet, is 89 Years Young :excl: :excl: :excl: :excl: and he's been operating the place since 1949, never missed a day in 63 years!!! :cool: :excl: :excl: :excl:
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I was scrolling down to post about Taylor. How is the BBQ there?

Also, I'm reminded of when the Builder was about a day late, someone ordering a ton of pizza to fix an on-board food shortage.
 
:hi: Taylor has Outstanding Bar-B-Q!!! :wub: Central Texas is noted for its Bar-B-Q Joints and IMO Taylor, Overall, has the Best! (The other Joint in Town is Muellers, Best Brisket in the World!! :wub: )IMO The Chicken and Ribs @ Taylor Cafe are a little better than Muellers! (I dont care for Sausage which is Elgins and Llanos claim to fame!)I get the best of both worlds, $6 Double Point runs and a Delcious Lunch!! :cool:

BTW-I posted this a few years ago on a thread about Food Delivery to Trains: I was riding the Crescent from Washington to Greenville, SC in a SlumberCoach when some Dukes of Hazard idiot ran in front of the Train in Mayberry,NC (not sure of the real name of the Burg! :lol: )and his Rig was totaled (but not Him!!) causing us to go into Emergency Stop! :excl: :excl: :excl: Made us 6 hours late the Next Morning into Greenville! :angry2:

Right across the Road from where the Train stopped was a Pizza Joint and the Crew sent a member over to get an Order and asked us if we wanted to go in! Of course I said Yes since meals werent included in SlumberCoach, and have to say that the Pizza was Terrible! :rolleyes: , sort of like North Carolina Bar-B-Q!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Please No Hate Mail from other States, I really like the Ribs in Memphis and even KC Bar-B-Q is Good! ^_^
 
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