In the early days of the railroads in America, when trains were slow and trips were long, meals were provided at certain stops along the way.

Passengers only had about twenty minutes to eat, and the mad scramble to get out and back on the train in time was hardly conducive to proper digestion.
About 1863, trains running between Philadelphia and Baltimore featured an “eating bar,”€ with food prepared in restaurants and kept hot in steamer trays. Five years later, in 1868, George Pullman introduced the first dining car, equipped with a full kitchen, and elegantly appointed dining tables where food was served in luxury by staff of uniformed waiters.
Luxury is the key word, and right up through the 1950s, railroads strove to give their passengers a dining experience on a par with the finest restaurants, right down to the china.
One of the most prolific producers of American railroad china was the German firm of Bauscher, and it is still held in high regard by today’s collectors. That’s saying something, because other European manufacturers included some of Europe’s finest — Spode, Minton, Grindley, and Haviland, among others.
The big volume producers in the U.S. were Syracuse China and Shenango China, with Buffalo, Warwick, Hall, Iroquois, OPCO, Universal, Homer Laughlin and Sterling following close behind.
You can recognize railroad china by either a top mark with the name or logo of the railroad or a bottom stamp with the railroad’s name. Sometimes, especially with standard patterns like Willow and Indian Tree, the word, “Pullman,”€ will by stamped underneath, next to the pattern name.
Except for the Pullman stamp, ship china is identified the same way as railroad china. If there is no top mark logo or back stamp with the ship name, however, look for nautical patterns like anchors, ropes and life preservers.
While collectors are interested almost exclusively in china made for American railroads, ship china can come from any country.
Mostly the same manufacturers of railroad china also made ship china, except that the china on board a ship will probably be from the same country where the cruise liner is registered. So you might find Royal Doulton on the QE II, Ginori on Italian lines, Porsgrund on Norwegian lines, etc.
Both railroad and ship china, whether porcelain or semi porcelain, as well as their glass and pewter accessories, generally were made in a heavy weight to withstand the rock and bounce of trains and boats.
Because of weight restrictions on planes, however, airline tableware is usually light weight and is often made in shapes that fit well onto a serving tray. While early airline tableware was made of porcelain or semi-porcelain, today you will only see these in first class. Most airline tableware has been made of plastic since the late 1960s.
Besides train, plane and ship china, collectors are also seeking out other institutional tableware from restaurants, hotels, drug stores, diners, department stores, company commissaries, and the military. Invariably, these will be well-made, durable pieces that are also very attractive.
However, institutional china is not that easy to come by, except for the occasional pilfering, which nobody recommends. While you might find some pieces from time to time in shops and on the Internet, it is important for the real collector to become familiar with the specialized collector clubs, newsletters and shows in the field.
Also, prices for institutional tableware can be erratic, especially for the popular railroad china. Most plate, for instance are about $25-$35, but some plates can command hundreds of dollars, depending on rarity and demand.
If you decide that institutional china is something you want to collect, you will have made a smart move. But your next move should be to buy Barbara Conroy’s two-volume “Restaurant China.”€ (Collector Books). These informative books deal with all institutional china, as well as all the special shows, dealers and clubs you’ll need to know to put together a moving collection of your own.

—Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on route 9 in Swainton and author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things.”