Historical February–March 2021 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
We’ve had such fun researching the illustrious past of DeBaliviere. Interviews with many neighborhood residents who grew up near and in the SD neighborhood have raised lots of questions and uncovered many memories about this amazing street of early to mid-20th century businesses. One spot we heard about several times was the Goody Train, and it was odd that we couldn’t find pictures of such a fun enterprize.
Now the mystery is solved with a marvelous website called “Lost Tables”, dedicated to STL restaurants no longer with us.
The restaurant with a great name, the Goody Train was a short-lived, but totally unique “concept” restaurant, created by entrepreneur Clarence Bick. Located in a former hardware store on the east side of DeBaliviere, near its intersection with Waterman, it opened in the fall of 1950.
As recounted in Lost Tables.com: The Goody Train advertised “fine food delivered by fast freight.” The “fast freight” was a gleaming Lionel locomotive which made its rounds every three minutes over an oval train track, which disappeared through tunnels into the kitchen.
A fanciful story-book mural was created on the tunnel wall by two young Washington University artists.
It featured blinking lights and tiny crossing gates, which went into action when the train whistle blew…
The Lionel train included alternate Santa Fe and New York Central double diesel engines, a caboose, a gondola, a Sealtest milk car and “plate-cars” to carry the food….Customers sat on stools at the long oval counter and could signal the train with a button to bring menus.
When orders were ready in the kitchen, the food was placed on the plate-cars.
A whistle was blown and the counterboy started the train on its trip back to the dining area and stopped it in front of the proper customer to deliver their order…The train would bring the check at the end of the meal and customers could pay by train.
The train-themed restaurant became a haven for young diners and was the site of many birthday parties.
A freight-drawn cake and a juke-box rendition of “Happy Birthday” were added inducements. Joe Edwards remembers going to the Goody Train with his parents when he was probably four or five years old. “It was a kids’ delight!… DeBaliviere had so many cool places. Garavelli’s, the Apollo, the Winter Garden, and so much more. Just remarkable for such a short street to have so much life.” In a Globe Democrat article about the huge DeBaliviere Place redevelopment by Pantheon in the 80’s, Dr. Albert Lindell, who owned an appartment building on Waterman also recalled the “little train” at the restaurant. Check out other pictures from the Goody Train on the great website “Lost Tables.com” and see our TIMES website for articles about many other memorable DeBaliviere businesses.
As Joe says, for such a short street, it had a truly amazing assortment of interesting businesses and demonstrated the ongoing power of the entrepreneur with a unique idea.
Original photograph caption
Historic Goody Train restaurant counter.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February–March 2021.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2021_02.pdf, printed page(s) 7; PDF page(s) 7.
