Railway Express provides a taste of family history

Railway Express provides a taste of family history By ARIANA PERRY The Belton Journal After her history and connection with the railroad industry, Christi Williams decided that the opportunity to open her business in the MK&T Depot was no coincidence. Williams, owner of Railway Express Diner in Belton, felt that it was only right for her to expand her business from food truck to diner. With her father being a former employee of the Santa Fe Railway and wanting to remember her father, Williams began creating this business with her husband. “We really liked what they were doing here, and I was able to take a lot of things that had to do with my dad,” Williams said. “We have a menu item named after him and the second room is even named after the railway he worked for.” Her father had worked for the railway for 27 years before he passed. She was approached around the anniversary of his death about opening the diner, which gave her even more of a nudge to open up the diner. “We had never had a brick-and-mortar before,” Williams revealed. “it was just like my dad was telling me ‘This is meant to be’.” The community response has been great for the Railway Express Diner, even better than Williams imagined. “The community has supported us above and beyond what we have ever experienced,” Williams said. Some of the community menu favorites are the Chicken-Fried Steak, Twisted Chicken-Fried Steak, and the Hobo Burger. Their specialty item, also named after Williams’s father, is the Fuel Mans Favorite. A childhood twist on the chicken fried steak, instead of being made with a steak it is actually made with a hamburger patty. “It was my dad’s favorite thing my mom made, and he was a fuel man so I decided to name it after him.” Williams said. The diner is currently closed on Mondays but opens the rest of the week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. BELTON JOURNAL/ARIANA PERRY Photos coming…..