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Sunday, March 01, 2009

1946:TED FORKER'S LEGENDARY LUNCH WAGON


I remember my father talking about Ted Forker's Diner. One day as I was passing "Floyd's Diner" on North Olden Avenue with my Dad, I mentioned that I stopped in there many mornings going up North Olden Avenue to my job at the Trenton Bearings Company. Pop said Floyd's reminded him of Ted Forker's Wagon on Perry Street. He went there very frequently when he first came to this country from England in the teens. It was the home of the ten cent hamburger and nickel cup of coffee. He had a very busy diner, and most of his customers were working men. Most of us who are interested in local history have seen many articles relating to "Ted Forker's Lunch Wagon."

2 comments:

SJBill said...

We didn't have lunch wagons in The 'Burg, but we did have waffle trucks that cruised the streets in the evening.

While I still lived in Trenton, it was beginning to get adventuresome to go to the Perry St. area. Was it the Freeway Steak House right at the exit on to Perry St? That was some good food, back in the 60s.

I enlisted in the Navy at the Lamberton St. Reserve Center in '64. The commanding Officer at the time was LCDR John T. Dempster, for whom the fire fighting training center of Mercer County was named.

My active duty stint took me to Quonset Point, RI. At that time, the near-by city of Providence had a large number of lunch wagons, most which were open till late in the morning. They were all loaded with sailors, tossed out of the just-closed bars. It was great getting a very early morning breakfast before getting a bus ride back to the ship.

"I'll have two dropped eggs over corned beef hash and a side of potatoes, please!" Great fare!

Anonymous said...

This lunch wagon was built by the Closson Lunch Wagon Company. They were located in Glens Falls, New York 1904-1912 then Westfield, New York 1912-1916. Have you seen any other interior photos?

Mike Engle
www.nydiners.com