Great Trackside Dining

[SteveTJ]

On Saturday, I was working out in the Fenton area and decided to stop at Yaya's on Silver Lake Rd for a quick lunch before heading to my next install. While eating, I was looking out the window and seen something that I never realized before. A Buffalo Wild Wings (my favorite restaurant in the world! A sports bar on steroids with more HDTV's than Best Buy, for those of you who have never been to one) and CN's Holly Sub main barely a 100' away from Bdub's outdoor seating. How great is that!! I will be a regular patron if Holly Sub traffic ever picks up. As for this summer, maybe I'll be lucky enough to catch one going by while enjoying wings and beer.



Not too bad of a picture, considering I took it with my cellphone.

[PAT.C]

HEY, LET'S MAKE THIS A GOOD DRINKING /EATING/TRAIN WATCHING PLACE THREAD.
THE BAR IN CARLETON JUST EAST OF THE TRACKS [OLD HOTEL] IS A GOOD PLACE THE CONSUME A BEER AND BURGER AND SEE ALL THE TRAINS WITHOUT LEAVING THE BLDG.
THE RAIL IN FOSTORIA IS ANOTHER DUMP NEXT TO THE TRACKS. IT SHAKES AS THE TRAINS GO BY.
AND THE BEST BAR IN THE WORLD IS THE NORTHSIDE IN MANISTEE GR888888888888 BURGERS, COLD DRAFTS, AND THE MIGHTY MQT.http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak- ... 67_368.jpg

[TrainNut85]

Knowing you Captain Caps anytime someone suggests beer you're sure to show up!

[GP30M4216]

Ohh excellent thread!

I always liked the Depot Restaurant in the old PM station in Grant, today along the MQT. It's hard to time it right to see a train, but the food is good and they have a lot of historical railroad stuff inside. Definitely worth a bite of you're driving M-37.

There is no place better to experience a train up close and some fine food too than the Sidetrack Bar & Grille in Depot Town, Ypsilanti. Maybe Lee can clue us in to just how fast the Amtraks roll through there, but if you're sitting outside on their patio beside the tracks, the trains are just feet away. If you go there, you might wonder why there is that strangely shaped wedge patio right on the corner. Once upon a time there was a building on that plot of land. And once upon a time a steam engine derailed in that spot and now we have a patio. They have world famous burgers... and everything else is delicious, too.

In Kalamazoo, the Water Street Coffee Joint may be the only place you can get closer to the trains, but they're only moving around 10 MPH. The building is almost on top of the Grand Rapids branch.

I also gotta give a shout out to the old Jake's Junction Restaurant at the NYC Museum in Elkhart. The seating was in the old Rock Island observation car along Main Street, at Dining Car style tables. I used to love going there as a kid and watching the trains go by on the Water Level Route, and sitting on one myself. Great experience!

[AARR]

How about Clare's in Lansing? You can even eat in a passenger car Foods ok, little out of whack for the price but affordable.

[TrainWatcher]

Station 885 in Plymouth is good for viewing CSX on the Detroit Sub. Foods consistantly good, however a little pricy for some items....

[SD80MAC]

Choo Choo Grill in GR off Plainfield is pretty good. Right next to the GRE, too.

[Railnut]

The Depot Bar & Grill in Farbault, MN. It is in the old CRIP depot "Spine" line (Kansas City-St Paul)..which UP now runs ("Albert Lee Sub")..only sees 6-12 trains a day. I have never had the chance to eat there..but I have heard the foods ok.
Dave C

[redside20]

Fowlerville Farms! CSX tracks are right down the road!
R Place-Fostoria
The Shovel Lounge-Marion in between the tracks! you can hear them outside.
Richards-New Haven Indiana

[SteveTJ]

The Depot Bar & Grill in Farbault, MN. It is in the old CRIP depot "Spine" line (Kansas City-St Paul)..which UP now runs ("Albert Lee Sub")..only sees 6-12 trains a day. I have never had the chance to eat there..but I have heard the foods ok.
Dave C

Wow, can't ask for a better view of the tracks. Just don't sit underneath that TV antenna at the top of the pole. It doesn't look long for this world.

[PAT.C]

The Shovel Lounge-Marion in between the tracks! you can hear them outside.
Richards-New Haven Indiana
HEY REDSIDE 20, THANKS FOR REMINDING ME OF THE SHOVEL.I DIDN'T REMEMBER THE NAME [ SHOVEL /MARION. WHAT COULD BE THE CONNECTION ? DAAAA. ]
I'LL TRY TO MEET YOU THERE THIS SUMMER.

AS FOR RICHARDS, I'VE HEARD OF IT AND WILL TRY TO GET THERE SOON. I LUV TRAINS, BEER, AND BEER FOOD.
ALL THREE TOGETHER IS A PERFECT TRIFECTA.!!!!!!!!

[SteveTJ]

I LUV TRAINS, BEER, AND BEER FOOD.
ALL THREE TOGETHER IS A PERFECT TRIFECTA.!!!!!!!!

Amen Caps!!

[BB]

What about at the St. Joseph depot, a pizza place? Then there's Culver's in Jenison with an outdoor seating area.

The Walter Payton's Roundhouse in Aurora IL is next to the BNSF Race Track and the Metra platforms. I ate in the outdoor area which is where the turntable was but I think there's windows and seating inside that face the tracks.

[odave]

...Fenton area...Buffalo Wild Wings

There's an intermediate signal for NB trains right there too - not sure if you can see the aspect from BWW or not. Its default setting is green, but if you see it red, there may be a SB on its way from Durand. Or you just missed a NB.

And just across the parking lot to the south is a Coldstone Creamery.

All we need is more traffic!

[SteveTJ]

The signal is far enough back from bww's where it shouldn't be too hard to see from their patio. I didn't realize there was also a Coldstone there as well. Another favorite of mine

[J T]

There's a restaurant in Ypsilanti right next to the tracks that cross the main intersection in the old part of town, complete with a patio that sits just a couple of car lengths from the rails. I imagine sitting there and enjoying a cold brew while Amtrak flies by is a pretty cool experience.

And then there's the Sidetrack bar in Pearl (south of Fennville) at the corner of 56th and 116th. The CSX line is ride out the backdoor.

[Raildudes dad]

MountainTown Station in Mt Pleasant. Train traffic is a little slim, but the food is really good, Award wining ribs and their own brewery for you beer lovers. One of the past waitresses made a lasting impression on a freight crew one time

[GTW6401]

Lumber Barons Brewpub in Bay City is next to the HESR main, and I usually see the train from Durand going past while eating dinner.

But isnt McDonalds the best great trackside dining experience. I know ive done that 100s of times.

[GreatLakesRailfan]

Heh heh. I was just going to bring up McDonalds when I saw Steve's post.

There's a McDonalds in Gilman, Illinois (yeah, yeah, it's a short distance from Michigan) that has a clear view of the Amshack in Gilman (and the CN/IC mainline).

There's a bar (couldn't see a name on it) in Chenoa, Illinois, whose parking lot forms the SE quadrant of the UP/TP&W diamond there.

The McDonalds in El Paso, Illinois is across the street from the TP&W mainline.

[J T]

But isnt McDonalds the best great trackside dining experience. I know ive done that 100s of times.

No truer words have been spoken in this thread.