dumbwaiter - Trains Magazine - Trains News Wire, Railroad News, Railroad Industry News, Web Cams, and Forms

Amtrak does not officially use the term "dumbwaiter", probably because it's not politically correct.

Superliner dining cars have two food service elevators each, one "clean" and one "dirty".  Prepared food goes up in the clean one; dirty dishes go down in the dirty one.  In spite of Amtrak's official name for them, we always called them the "clean dummy" or the "dirty dummy".  Proper use of these two elevators for their respective intended purposes is rigidly enforced.

They were supposed to be labeled "Food Service Elevator", but some got labels that called them evelators (sic).  I think some of those incorrect labels may still be out there running.  Take a look next time you ride in a Superliner-equipped train.

Sorry I can't address the question about U.P.'s dome diners.

Tom