Have you ever fantasized about riding in a train and having a meal in the diner car, just like they do in old movies like “Murder on the Orient Express,” “White Christmas” and “Strangers on a Train”?

Amtrak isn’t labeling the change the end of the dining car, but rather an evolution more in line with the demands of this era. “It is part of an evolution,” said Peter Wilander, who oversees Amtrak’s ...