The Galveston Railroad Museum will host a Harvey House Dinner on Saturday, June 15, aboard the Northern Lights and adjacent dining car, 2602 Santa Fe Place. Reservations are required, $150 per person, all inclusive, and seating is limited. Reservations may be made online at
Founded by Fred Harvey in 1878 in order to serve the growing number of train passengers, the chain of Harvey House restaurants were located along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in the American Southwest. Travelers accustomed to ‘dingy beaneries’ with ‘rough waiters’ were pleasantly surprised by the attractive and courteous servers who became known as the Harvey House Girls. Galveston’s Union Passenger Terminal Station was the site of a Harvey House Restaurant and remained in operation until 1938.
A few Harvey Houses remain as first-class hotels located at the Grand Canyon, Winslow, Arizona, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Harvey House Museum located in Belen, New Mexico, operates a small diner serving menu items that today are referred to as ‘comfort food.’
Now operating as The Center for Transportation and Commerce, visitors to the Galveston Railroad Museum regularly walk through the space once occupied by the legendary diner to view exhibits. The original marble floors, ceiling, and light fixtures remain intact. The only thing missing is the counter. A Harvey House exhibit and photographs are on display in the depot where an original uniform is on display, and Harvey House cookbooks are available in the museum store.
The museum’s acquisition of a dinette car in 2023 inspired the board of directors to honor Harvey House with a dining aboard experience and to welcome The Northern Lights. The Northern Lights was built in 1990 by the Bombardier Company for Amtrak as a dinette complete with serving galley and 4 seat dining booths. The car was introduced at the 2023 Polar Express Train Rider as an additional car to accommodate families attending the holiday event. It is available for a fee for private functions based upon availability.
Situated on 5 acres of railyard, the Galveston Railroad Museum is an immersive experience rich in transportation history. Visitors are encouraged to climb aboard trains for a tactile approach to learning about the golden age of rail and to see how people traveled in the past. Sleep cars, dining cars, post office, cattle car, military transport, and much more. A 100 year old steam driven engine, caboose rides, and hand powered baggage cars provide stories from the past, as do the Ghosts of Travelers Past, lifelike sculptures in the train depot, that are reminiscent of an era where people from all walks of life gathered in the depot to launch their journeys.
Proceeds from the Harvey House Dinner will benefit educational outreach including the Carmody Railroad Library, Young Ingenuity Youth Group, teacher curriculum for grades K-12, and sensory tours and activities for autistic individuals.
The Galveston Railroad Museum is open daily 10 – 5; parking is complimentary with admission. Train rides on the Harborside Express are available on weekends, weather permitting. Membership, schedules, and general information: www.galvestonRRmuseum.org. (409) 765-5700
