Worcester Lunch Car Company was a manufacturer of diners based in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, from 1906 to 1957.
History
In 1906 Philip H. Duprey and Grenville Stoddard established the Worcester Lunch Car and Carriage Manufacturing Company, which shipped 'diners' all over the Eastern Seaboard. It was named for Worcester, Massachusetts, where the company was based. The first manufactured lunch wagons with seating appeared throughout the Northeastern US in the late 19th century, serving busy downtown locations without the need to buy expensive real estate. It is generally accepted that the name "diner" as opposed to "lunch wagon" was not widely used before 1925. The company produced 651 diners between 1906 and 1957, when manufacturing ceased. All of Worcester Lunch Car's assets were auctioned in 1961.
Examples
Many diners still exist in the Worcester area, including Casey's Diner (1922) in nearby Natick and the Boulevard Diner (1936) in Worcester as well as Miss Florence Diner (1941) all of which are some of the oldest diners in the country and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Miss Florence Diner, one of the longest running and still operational train car style diners was first established in 1941 when Maurice and Pauline Florence Alexander opened the doors of the diner. While originally situated across the street, the diner found its forever home on 99 Main Street, Florence, MA (a village in Northampton, MA) later that same year.