Birdseye Diner

The Birdseye Diner is a 1940’s Silk City Dining Car manufactured in Patterson New Jersey. It spent 18 years in service before returning to the factory for a face lift involving the addition of more chrome to cover up most of the “old fashioned” wood. After the rehab it was brought via tractor trailer truck to Castleton Vermont to replace the former Birdseye, a wooden diner which had burned. This dining car has remained in its current location for the last 50 years. During this time the diner has been titled The Campus Diner, Jim’s and T.J.’s and has seen many changes including the addition of a larger kitchen and a barnboard façade. The current owners John and Pam Rehlen purchased the diner on November 26th 1995 and began renovations. The renovation project included stripping the pitched wooden roof and barnboard façade. It also included removing much of the interior chrome to return the diner to the way it looked in the 40’s. To help guide the project was Daniel Zilka a professional Diner restorer. The winter of 1997 brought the addition of another forty seat dining room. The spring of 1998 marked the beginning of an outdoor patio arrangement for additional seating. The Birdseye has been an institution in Castleton. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the dining car in it’s current location giving everyone cause for celebration.