Dining cars were, by themselves, a liability to the railroads. They were the heaviest and most expensive of passenger cars. To maintain the expected standards of quality in service, menu, and comfort, the railroads often incurred appalling losses. First class passengers expected fine dining cars, and the railroads were obliged to provide them with the finest of service.
Before dining cars, passengers on long trips either brought along their own food or dined at train station restaurants. The food at these stops was rarely of good quality or much variety, and passengers sometimes had only minutes in which to eat. In the 1870s, dining cars were developed first for wealthy passengers. The Chicago & Alton Railroad was the first to adopt the dining car for regular passenger service. In order to compete, other Chicago railroads did likewise. Eventually, dining cars became a competitive necessity on all railroads, no matter how high an expense was incurred through their manufacture and operation.
The Pullman Company built the first dining car, naming it the "Delmonico", after the world-famous restaurant in New York City. The "Delmonico" featured two dining rooms with a kitchen between the two rooms. By the early 1880s, the design configuration of the dining car had changed, putting the kitchen at one end of the car and the dining room, seating 36 people, at the other end. A dining car required a staff of at least seven and sometimes as many as 16 cooks, busboys, and waiters. Tables were set with fine linen, silver, and china, all made especially for a railroad and emblazoned with its logo. The cars themselves were generally carpeted, occasionally furnished with fine draperies and light fixtures. Menus might offer as many as 80 different dishes, featuring fresh meats, fish, poultry, baked goods, fruits, and vegetables. Dining cars eventually gave way almost altogether to economical buffet and snack cars which were much less ornate and had limited menus and services. This specific diner was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad for the "crack" (fast) train, the Broadway Limited and later in its career ran on the Spirit of St. Louis.