POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Glass by Crown Crystal Glass Company

Object No. A10082-223

This glass was used in the New South Wales Government Railways' railway refreshment rooms. In the first decades of rail travel no buffet or dining carriages were provided and hungry passengers had to leave the train to patronise refreshment rooms located on station platforms. The private caterers who serviced these facilities were loudly condemned in a railway commissioner's report of 1870 which resulted in NSW Railways taking over and developing new style refreshment rooms at selected stations across the state. Passengers could purchase a small luncheon basket holding a cold lunch and dessert. A cash deposit was collected as a guarantee of the return of the 'Ref Room' basket and fittings at the next refreshment station. Travelling north from Melbourne, the main refreshment stops were at Seymour, Albury, Junee and Moss Vale. Certain stations were famous for their food: Seymour for its sausages and pies and Moss Vale for its early breakfast. Behind the refreshment rooms lurked a huge kitchen where a chef laboured over cauldrons of stew, frying pans of sizzling chops and urns of boiling tea and coffee. When the bell rang to herald the imminent arrival of an express train, it gave warning that all passengers had to be fed within 25 minutes. Diesel engines which did not require supplies of coal and water, more on-train catering and a decrease in the use of railways due to the rapid rise in car ownership saw the decline of refreshment rooms. Today there is little indication of their existence on most stations. Margaret Simpson Assistant Curator, Science & Industry October 2008

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Summary

Object Statement

Pint glass, etched with a crown and map of Australia, marked 'NSWGR / RRR', clear glass, made by Crown Crystal Glass Company, Waterloo, New South Wales, for the New South Wales Government Railways, Australia, c. 1910-1960

Physical Description

Pint glass, from a New South Wales Government Railways' Railway Refreshment Room, clear, made by Crown Crystal Glass Company for the NSW railways Pint glass, clear, etched with a crown and map of Australia and marked 'NSWGR / RRR'.

DIMENSIONS

Height

165 mm

Width

90 mm

SOURCE

Acquisition Date

6 April 1984

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