Silver Star Cafe

Last updated

Silver Star Cafe
Silver-Star-Cafe-logo-2014.png
Silver Star Cafe, Port Hedland, exterior, 2012 (3).JPG
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
City Port Hedland
StateWestern Australia
Postal/ZIP Code6721
CountryAustralia
Coordinates 20°18′43″S118°34′36″E / 20.31194°S 118.57667°E / -20.31194; 118.57667 Coordinates: 20°18′43″S118°34′36″E / 20.31194°S 118.57667°E / -20.31194; 118.57667
Seating capacity75

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.

Contents

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 US. [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. General Pershing Zephyr-Silver Charger - 20081123.jpg
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. Silver Star Cafe, Port Hedland, exterior, 2012.JPG
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. Silver Star Cafe, Port Hedland, interior, 2012.JPG
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

Related Research Articles

The Pilbara is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a global biodiversity hotspot for subterranean fauna.

General Pershing Zephyr American trainset

The General Pershing Zephyr was the ninth of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad's Zephyr streamliners, and the last built as an integrated streamliner rather than a train hauled by an EMD E-unit diesel locomotive. It was constructed in 1939 with bodywork and passenger cars by Budd Company and diesel engine, electric transmission, power truck, and other locomotive equipment by General Motors Electro-Motive Corporation. Because its intended Kansas City to St Louis route passed near the birthplace and boyhood home of famous World War I General John J. Pershing, the train was named after him. The power car was named Silver Charger, after Pershing's horse Charger, while the passenger cars were named after United States Army badges of rank—Silver Leaf, Silver Eagle, and Silver Star.

Newman, Western Australia Town in Western Australia

Newman, originally named Mount Newman until 1981, is a town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is located about 1,186 kilometres (737 mi) north of Perth, and 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of the Tropic of Capricorn. It can be reached by the Great Northern Highway. Newman is a modern mining town, with homes contrasting with the surrounding reddish desert. The Hickman Crater is 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Newman.

Fortescue Metals Group Iron ore mining company in Western Australia

Fortescue Metals Group is an Australian iron ore company. As of 2017, Fortescue is the fourth-largest iron ore producer in the world. The company has holdings of more than 87,000 km2 in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, making it the largest tenement holder in the state, larger than both BHP and Rio Tinto.

Hamersley & Robe River railway Private railway in Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Hamersley & Robe River railway, majority-owned by Rio Tinto, and operated by its subsidiary Pilbara Iron, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the purpose of carrying iron ore. The network is larger than any other Australian heavy freight rail network in private ownership. The total length of its track is about 1,700 km (1,056.33 mi).

Goldsworthy railway Private railway in Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Goldsworthy railway, owned and operated by BHP, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore. It is one of two railway lines BHP operates in the Pilbara, the other being the Mount Newman railway.

Mount Newman railway Private railway in Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Mount Newman railway, owned and operated by BHP, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore. It is one of two railway lines BHP operates in the Pilbara, the other being the Goldsworthy railway.

Fortescue railway Private railway in Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Fortescue Railway, owned and operated by Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore. It opened in 2008. When it was completed it was the heaviest haul railway in the world, designed for 40 tonnes axleloads, 2.5 to 5 tonnes heavier than the other Pilbara iron ore rail systems. On 4 November 2014, FMG Rail commenced trialling 42 tonnes axle loads.

Mount Whaleback mine Iron ore mine in Western Australia

The Mount Whaleback mine, officially the Newman West operation, is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, six kilometres west of Newman.

Iron ore mining in Western Australia Mining in Western Australia

Iron ore mining in Western Australia, in the 2018–19 financial year, accounted for 54 percent of the total value of the state's resource production, with a value of A$78.2 billion. The overall value of the minerals and petroleum industry in Western Australia was A$145 billion in 2018-19, a 26 percent increase on the previous financial year.

The Area C mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 92 kilometres west-north-west of Newman.

The Jimblebar mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 41 kilometres east of Newman.

The Wodgina mine is an exhausted iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres south of Port Hedland.

The Yarrie mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres north-east of Marble Bar.

Yandi mine Iron ore mine in Western Australia

The Yandi mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres north-west of Newman. It should not be confused with Rio Tinto's nearby Yandicoogina mine, which is also sometimes shortened to Yandi.

The Orebodies 18, 23 and 25 mine, part of BHP's Eastern Ridge hub and officially referred to as the Newman East operation, is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 8 kilometres east of Newman. The mine is majority-owned and operated by BHP, and is one of seven iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. The company also operates two port facilities at Port Hedland, Nelson Point and Finucane Island, and over 1,000 kilometres of rail in the Pilbara.

Don Rhodes Mining and Transport Museum Mining museum, Transport museum in Port Hedland, Western Australia

The Don Rhodes Mining and Transport Museum is a public park in Port Hedland, Western Australia, with an open-air display of retired mining machinery and railway rollingstock.

Port of Port Hedland Port in Australia

Port Hedland is one of the largest iron ore loading ports in the world and the largest in Australia. In 2011 it had the largest bulk cargo throughput in Australia. With the neighboring ports of Port Walcott and Dampier, Port Hedland is one of three major iron ore exporting ports in the Pilbara region of Western Australia,

The Railways in the Pilbara are a collection of railways in the Pilbara region of north-west Western Australia.

Roy Hill railway Private railway in Pilbara region of Western Australia

The Roy Hill railway, officially the Roy Hill Infrastructure railway, owned and operated by Hancock Prospecting, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Silver Star Cafe". courthousegallery.com.au. Port Hedland Courthouse Gallery. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Quekett, Malcolm (26 October 2010). "Historic carriage on track for third life". The West Australian. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 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. 1 2 3 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.