Help...Is this an old hot/cold cart?

[rachow]

Hi all,

I bought this item at a flea market this past summer and haven't been able to find any information on it. The story I was told (and am not sure if I should believe) is that it's a cart that was wheeled around on a train to sell hot/cold items to passengers. The date I was given was 1920(ish). There are no markings on it. The frame is wood, but the surface is some sort of metal, with a [fading] faux wood finish over it. The inside is aluminum, and in pretty good condition (especially if it is that old). There is a chain to prevent the top from opening all the way backwards, and two latches to close it shut. There are 3 sections with lids, and one of them has a grate at the bottom (for coal to keep items hot?). That "pot" has a Wear-ever tin in it, but the condition of that doesn't match the condition of the rest of the inside, so I feel that was put in later. (Not entirely sure, though).

If anyone has any idea as to what this is, if it is in-fact a train's hot/cold food cart from the early 20th century, or even if I'm way off, I will be very grateful.

Thank you!!
Rachel

[Madcaravanner]

Right a few questions
1/ how big is it
2/ are there any marks on it

My Opinion is at present no

it certainly doesn't look like it is waist high which is what I would expect a catering cart to be unless it was for use taking food to a buffet car to serve from there it certainly wouldn't be taken through a train if it were smaller

Most pre-grouping Railways inscribed their company logo on EVERYTHING so I would almost expect each item to have a mark

[rachow]

1. I didn't measure it myself, but my coworker managed to find this (in almost an instant!), which helps a bit, but still leaves a lot of questions unanswered: http://www.etsy.com/listing/83599420...od-warmer-rare

The measurements they give are 36" wide, 17" tall and 15 1/2 " deep. It's basically the size of a bench.

2. There were no markings that I could find. The person in this Etsy posting listed it as "Coleman", though I wonder what led her to believe that, since I doubt hers has any markings either.

I'm wondering if this is indeed a food warmer/cooler, but not specifically for trains/railroads.

Thanks for your feedback on my post. Much appreciated!!

Rachel

[Madcaravanner]

Working on that listing it would appear to be more like "Estate" furniture/equipment - say for a hunt or harvest rather than for the Railway

The one thing about Early 20 Century Railways was their stamping of their crest on every part of an item to ensure it could not be stolen which is why there are so many Clocks with GWR / LNER / GCR / LMS / MR / NER etc. around even today

[rachow]

Thanks so much for your reply, Madcaravanner! I'm gonna keep digging around, but what you said about it not having any markings from the railroad makes sense, so that is certainly helpful.

[Madcaravanner]

Originally Posted by rachow

Thanks so much for your reply, Madcaravanner! I'm gonna keep digging around, but what you said about it not having any markings from the railroad makes sense, so that is certainly helpful.

Good luck in your search