In order to increase attendance and recruit new volunteers for our work sessions we've been experimenting with providing lunch on site for attendees every couple of months. Back in November I cooked hot dogs very sucessfully in our N&W caboose, we had about twice the usual number of people show up. This Saturday I'm going to attempt a pot of chili without scorching things too badly. Regulating the heat on a coal stove ain't easy......... I'd appreciate it anyone has any  recipes that for "caboose food" that could be prepared for 10-20 people. Historic and modern recipes, whatever works. I'll be glad to share whatever I come up with also. In my Civil War reenacting campfire cooking, I've done bratwurst & sauerkraut (for "German" Yankee, of course), breakfasts, and Confederate "slow mule & buzzard" (actually chicken and beef) Mulligan stew. PM me or post a reply

Regards

I don't have any specific recipes for coal stove cookery, but have learned a few things over the years that might be helpful. You're right, it's tough to maintain an even temperature in a caboose stove, and you have to have the attitude that a little coal dust never hurt anyone.

We've had really good luck with well-seasoned cast iron fry pans and pots. They are much more forgiving of the temperature variations. A good "dutch oven" as sold by outdoor and camping suppliers like Cabela's would be a great addition. Chili, beef or chicken stew with lots of potatoes, carrots and onions is pretty much foolproof. Just make sure you keep about 1/4" of water in the bottom of the roaster. Bacon, eggs, hot dogs and sausage/kielbasa are all easy. Toast can be made by cleaning off the corners of the stove top and lightly buttering the toast.

The old-timers usually had a hook on the ceiling above the center of the stove top, and used a piece of light chain from it to the handles of a pot or broiler. This would keep the pot from ending up on the floor when the engineer was exploring the limitations of the caboose's draft gear. I've also seen some clever use of coat hangers for holding pots in place. If you have some 1/4' holes drilled in the edges around the top of the stove, that's probably what they were for.

You'll want to have plenty of hot water and a dishpan available for cleanup, we use a big old coffee pot for the water. Aluminum foil is handy for baked potatoes if you're lucky enough to still have the roasting grille for the stove. (we don't, I've never even seen one). A collection of pennies, 3/8" nuts and washers is handy for "shimming" pots and pans on the stovetop to control the heat. If you have an extra stove lid stashed in the caboose, they make a great emergency frypan. An extra stove lid is also handy for making pancakes on. Just clean and wipe with crisco, and pour the batter on. When the pancake is done, exchange lids and keep making 'em.

Somewhere around here, I have an old "Railroad" magazine from the 1940's with an article about caboose cookery. It was an eye opener. I'll see if I can find it. Meanwhile, Steve Weaver needs to chime in here.
Fred

Gary -

Back in the early days of the museum in North Judson, we used to cook and eat in our Bessemer & Lake Erie (ex-EJ&E) cupola caboose. The caboose had a very good oil burning stove and in fact, the one place you could not sit was at the table right across from the stove. The heat would soon drive you out! Eating upstairs (where I usually sat) was hot too, but you could open the cupola windows and let most of the heat escape. Food in those days was whatever Bob Siple, our ex-Army cook, would come up with. Hot Dogs and beans was a rather common staple. Eventually we realized that the caboose was just about the only decent looking car we had and we decided to clean it up (it was always pretty much a mess) and let the occassional visitors in to see it. So we cleaned out our Nickel Plate Road camp car (ex-W&LE boxcar) and put in new walls and ceiling and converted IT into our kitchen/eating car. We are still in that car with Kelli Miller these days providing hearty meals to the members. We even allow visitors to join us for vittles if they so desire. Recently, Mark Knebel gave the car a new coat of light gray NKP paint, and I put the reporting marks and road number on it. I know that other museums provide lunch to their members, maybe we can hear from them too.

As for our B&LE caboose, it runs these days on our caboose train. Last fall, we had a cold day and fired up its stove for riders. Most complained that it was too hot and we had to shut the stove down.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)

Fred and the others have pretty much captured it. If you have cooked for re-enactments, you have the basics down. The key with the stove is to get it fired up early, get it good and hot and then use the cool-down cycle for cooking like one would do for a campfire. Once one is cooking, you don't want any air moving through the stove in order to keep things at a slow simmer. Allow at least three hours for a good roast or stew.

Use of anthracite instead of bituminous also makes it easier, though Mr. Stevens saw me through my initial nervousness with bituminous. He is a good mentor and an excellent caboose host ...

Steve Weaver and Fred Stevens have spoken. To say that when it comes to being comfortable with all workings of a caboose of the steam era (or as comfortable as two men of today can be), these guys are the best, is an understatement. Thus endeth the lesson on caboose cookery (at least as far as I am concerned).

As evidence: Steve Weaver





Thought I had incremenating photos of Fred too, but can't find them at the moment. JC, you got your ears on?

Thanks for all the replies and info, guys. I've actually been granted a reprieve from cooking tomorrow, the work session was cancelled so as not to conflict with the C&OHS's train show in Clifton Forge. (We will be staffing a booth there with fundraising info for our Virginian Station restoration project) Instead, we will be working on the 28th to start preparing our archival materials for transfer to the N&WHS. The next "lunch" work session will be on March 21st, right after our next regular meeting.  That will give me a chance to test the "IRM" chili seasoning that I ordered, and maybe play with the heat regulation on the stove. I'm planning on using period style utensils and containers for the actual cooking, and wearing apropriate "1960" dress, but will probably do the serving into the modern disposable stuff. It makes the cleanup much easier. Steve, I'd love to know what you've got in that roasting pan.................

Regards,

The roasting pan in the pic was courtesy of Mr. John Craft who supplied many of the period "props" for that photo shoot. They ain't rare, my wife does thanksgiving turkey in an identical one every year. We got it from my mother back in the late 1960's. Also available on Ebay often, just search for "roasting pan". Example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Oval-Black-speckled ... dZViewItem

Fred
pm1225@gmail.com

Hmm ... As I recall, it was a good quality beef loin of uncertain dimension, surrounded by potatoes and carrots that were smothered with at least four mild, sliced white onions. Numerous proprietary seasonings were added, and the whole shabeen simmered for about four hours.

The roast was served with bread, butter and jam, and a side of John Craft's red-deviled eggs. All was washed down with perked coffee.

Erich Armpriester, Boomer and Brakeman, did the dishes.

Last Saturday's caboose lunch was a success. I started cooking the chili at about 10:30 and served it at 12:45. Everyone went back for seconds, and the chef received a number of compliments (although several of them were of the Arabic style, not surprising with the bunch I hang out with................). Thanks to everyone for their advice. Steve, I built a bank on one side of the stove, but did most of the cooking on the opposite side, per your suggestions. It worked well, the pot was not scorched. I hope to do one more lunch this Spring before it gets too hot to cook in the caboose. If I can scavenge up an appropriate roasting pan, I'm going to try "Pot Roast a la Weaver". Be warned, Steve, I may be asking you about those "proprietary seasonings".

As a recipient of Mr. Weaver's cooking (and the photographer of the top photo of Steve), let me say that the "proprietary seasonings" were a culinary delight. The "caboose pass" on Historic Transport Preservation's PM 1225 photo charter was well worth the money. Looking forward to doing it again!