Silver Star Cafe (Port Hedland)

The Silver Star Cafe is a restaurant located in the west end of Port Hedland, Western Australia. Its kitchen and lounge area are housed within a historic preserved railway carriage, and it has an alfresco deck alongside.

Silver Star Cafe
The Silver Star Cafe and alfresco deck, 2012.
Restaurant information
Established26 October 2010 (2010-10-26)
Food typeModern Australian
Dress codeCasual
Street address12a Edgar Street
CityPort Hedland
StateWestern Australia
Postal/ZIP Code6721
CountryAustralia
Coordinates20°18′43″S 118°34′36″E
Seating capacity75

A project of BHP Billiton Iron Ore, with support from Town of Port Hedland, Boom Logistics and Laing O'Rourke,[1] the cafe was officially opened by the Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett, on 26 October 2010.[2]

History

Midwest

The railway carriage that is now the nucleus of the Silver Star Cafe was built by the Budd Company in 1939, for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, commonly known as the Burlington. A "diner-parlour and observation car", it was assigned the fleet number 301, and was named the Silver Star.[2][3]

Together with two passenger cars, the Silver Leaf and the Silver Eagle, and a power car, the Silver Charger, the Silver Star made up the General Pershing Zephyr, a streamliner train named after General John 'Black Jack' Pershing.[3] On 30 April 1939, the train made its inaugural passenger trip between St Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, in the midwest of the USA.[3]

Pershing was a World War I veteran, who became the chief of staff of the United States Army. He was born and raised in a town not far from the train's route. The names Silver Leaf, Silver Eagle and Silver Star all corresponded to US Army badges of rank, while the Silver Charger was named after one of the General's horses.[3]

The Silver Charger, 2008.

The General Pershing Zephyr was the ninth and last in a series of "shovelnose" Zephyr streamliners operated by the Burlington, and the only one made up of non-articulated cars. The "shovelnose" Zephyrs were lighter and faster than their contemporaries, because they were made of lightweight stainless steel, to a unique "streamlined" design.[3] Although the earlier, articulated, versions of these trains had the further advantage of a reduced number of trucks (bogies),[4] and no couplers,[5] the General Pershing Zephyr's non-articulated configuration provided maximum flexibility and ease of maintenance.[6]

The Silver Star was the tail-end car in the General Pershing Zephyr. It had a rounded observation end, and was considered to be the train's "most distinguished car."[3][5] Inside, it was fitted with a dining room 19 feet (5.8 m) in length seating 24 passengers at six tables. At the rounded end was an observation parlour with 22 movable seats, and a kitchen and pantry were at the other end.[3]

The General Pershing Zephyr ran on its assigned route until the United States entered World War II,[3] and then its individual cars continued in use on other trains. As late as 1967, Silver Star was still in the consist of the combined Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr and American Royal Zephyr.[5]

Pilbara
Observation end, Silver Star Cafe, 2012.

By 1974, the first 100 million tonnes of iron ore had been carried between Newman and Port Hedland on the Mount Newman railway in the Pilbara, Australia. To celebrate this achievement, the US based mining company AMAX, which was then a partner in Mount Newman Mining, presented the Silver Star to the latter company at an official ceremony.[2][3]

The carriage was renamed the Sundowner and put into service along the otherwise freight-only Mount Newman railway.[2] For nearly 20 years, it made a weekly round trip from Newman to Port Hedland and back, carrying families and sporting teams on a Friday for shopping and sports fixtures, and returning them to Newman the following Sunday evening. The Sundowner was also used for special trips, including day excursions, VIP functions and "Santa Specials".[3] On all of these trips, it offered views of the Pilbara landscape not otherwise visible to its appreciative occupants.[2]

During its service on the Mount Newman railway, the carriage was refurbished and modified inside and out on several occasions. The original kitchen was removed, the galley relocated, and the elegant original interior panelling replaced with Western Australian jarrah timber. The carriage was always maintained in working order, but by the early 21st century had fallen largely into disuse.[3]

In 2009, BHP Billiton Iron Ore, by then the sole owner of the railway, decided to give the carriage to the Port Hedland community as a visitor attraction and cafe.[3] In co-operation with FORM, and with support from Town of Port Hedland, Boom Logistics and Laing O'Rourke,[1] the carriage was relocated from the railway's Nelson Point yard to the west end of Port Hedland. In its new incarnation as a cafe, it was officially opened by the Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett, on 26 October 2010.[2]

The air conditioned lounge.

Although the kitchen is small, the whole menu is cooked fresh on the premises.[7]

Reviews

According to the Australasian Mining Review, the Silver Star Cafe is "arguably the best breakfast spot in Hedland".[8] The Cafe has also been favourably reviewed by Lonely Planet, which praised it as "possibly the coolest cafe in the Pilbara".[9]

See also

References

Notes
  1. "Silver Star Cafe". courthousegallery.com.au. Port Hedland Courthouse Gallery. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  2. Quekett, Malcolm (26 October 2010). "Historic carriage on track for third life". The West Australian. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  3. Webster, Mags (2010). The Silver Star: how a railroad icon made the journey from the American Midwest to the West Australian Pilbara (PDF). Perth, Western Australia: FORM.
  4. Johnston, Bob; Welsh, Joe; Schafer, Mike (2001). The Art of the Streamliner. New York: Metro Books. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-58663-146-8.
  5. Zimmermann, Karl (2004). Burlington's Zephyrs. Saint Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7603-1856-0.
  6. Schafer, Mike; Welsh, Joe (1997). Classic American Streamliners. Osceola, Wisconsin: MotorBooks International. ISBN 978-0-7603-0377-1.
  7. Batchelor, Elise (7 April 2012). "Women in Business: Julie Berry". Pilbara Echo. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  8. Webster, Mags (22 August 2013). "Port Hedland – An Unexpected Experience". Australasian Mining Review. Australian Publishing Resource Service. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  9. "Cafe Restaurants in Western Australia". lonelyplanet.com. Lonely Planet. Retrieved 5 May 2012.

Further reading
  • Boyle, Jonathan J (2005). Burlington Route: Streamlined Observation Cars. Forest, VA: TLC Publishing. ISBN 9780976620167.
  • Dorin, Patrick C (1976). Everywhere West: The Burlington Route. Seattle: Superior Publishing Co. ISBN 0875645232.
  • Doughty, Geoffrey H (2002). Burlington Route: The Early Zephyrs. Lynchburg, Va: TLC Publishing. ISBN 1883089662.
  • Joyce, John; Tilley, Allan (1979). Railways in the Pilbara. Wembley, WA: J&A Publications. p. 88. ISBN 0959969926.
  • Randall, W David (1999). The Passenger Car Library. Vol 1: Chicago Burlington & Quincy. Godfrey, Ill: RPC Publications Inc. p. 57. OCLC 42269590.
  • Wayner, Robert J., ed. (1972). Car Names, Numbers and Consists. New York: Wayner Publications. OCLC 8848690.
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