Artist/Maker Lionel (American, founded 1900)

Restaurant

1938-1942

Metal, fiberboard, plastic, wood, sawdust, wire, paint

Overall: 3 1/2 × 10 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (8.9 × 26.7 × 14 cm)

Jerni Collection, acquired with generous support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Richard Gilder, and an anonymous donor

2014.31.879

Catering to car-driving families, the diner emerged during the 1930s as a new kind of highway restaurant. Lionel easily adapted their 610 Pullman car body to create their own roadside diner in an effort to expand their range of scenic accessories. Affixed atop a wood base, the diner could be illuminated, and it featured green-dyed sea sponges to suggest shrubs and hedges. Wartime restrictions on steel manufacturing ended production of this toy and most of Lionel’s line in 1942.

DescriptionDiner. Red and beige railroad car diner with plastic windows. Body of diner is made from a repurposed #610 Lionel car. Secured to fiberboard base with faux grass and greenery. Pink stairs and base. Printed on side plaques of diner: "EAT // DINER // EAT". Electrified.

ClassificationsTOYS

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