History

Fremont Dinner Train History

Fremont Dinner Train, a for-profit corporation, was founded by a group of eight investors in August of 1988. Negotiations were consummated with the Eastern Nebraska Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society to operate on their tracks running from Fremont to Hooper, Nebraska (representing fifteen miles of track). The agreement reached then carried forward, calls for the Historical Society doing business as the Fremont and Elkhorn Valley Rail Road to provide an engine and crew to pull our dining cars.

Actual operations began on October 22, 1988 with our car Elkhorn River, while our second car Maple Creek was renovated. Virtually all of the remodeling was accomplished by local trades people and it joined the train by December 15, 1988.

Over the course of the next two years, main-line sound and a closed circuit television/VCR/video system were installed. Additional refinements have continued to be made to these two cars both in decor and various systems. A new power car (N&W #410) was purchased in 1990 to provide a more adequate power source and allow potential future growth.

By mid-February 1997, a third dining car, Rose Creek, (another Canadian National and Via Coach) entered our service with an additional 56 seats and a second galley.

Within a month former Milwaukee Road car, #193 Fox River was added primarily as a storage car. Currently in reserve, it was resurrected from a fire-gutted shell. Fox River was a former first-class parlor car.

Fontanelle Springs, (Ex CN/Via) joined the fleet officially in December of 1999. It is essentially a dual service car technically a lounge and diner. With a seating potential of 36 seats the train officially has a capacity of 192 seats if the lounge (bar) area, which is now the main service center of the train.

Added in late June 2000, our newest power car, Clear Creek, formerly a Milwaukee Road Baggage-Dorm car replaced Fox River. A portion of the car is used for our new generator, the other part is used primarily for storage. Eventually, the small rooms in Clear Creek, may be used for private dining rooms.

Over the years, a number of entertainment formats have been added including: Murder Mysteries, Melodramas, USO dinner shows, Wine-tasting dinners, theme occasions, holiday runs, period movies, and even an occasional dance floor.