Anyone Remember the Gulf Breeze?

[Mike]

I remember hearing of an Amtrak train called the Gulf Breeze. I know it was terminated in 1995. Was it a Amtrak budget cut? Also,where did it split off from the Crescent at? Did it make a good connection for the Sunset Limited in Mobile. If anyone can answer my questions,I'd be most appreciative. Thanks.

 

[DaveKCMO]

In 1989 the commission set out again to initiate rail passenger service on another route. This time the focus was on a section of the former Louisville and

Nashville Humming Bird route from Birmingham- Montgomery-Mobile. New

rail passenger service was established with a 403( B ) Amtrak Train. The

Alabama contingent of commissioners, acting as the Alabama Rail Transit

Commission, succeeded in securing an agreement with the National Rail

Passenger Corporation to split the southbound Amtrak Train #19, The Crescent

at Birmingham. The portion taken off would then travel south over the CSX

Transportation line to Mobile via Montgomery. The northbound train would

then be merged back into Train #19 the northbound Crescent in Birmingham

continuing on to New York City. On October 27, 1989 Amtrak Train #819 the

Gulf Breeze made its inaugural run to Mobile, Alabama from Birmingham with

regularly scheduled daily service beginning October 30th with the northbound

train #820 from Mobile. Amtrak once again served Mobile after a nearly five-

year drought.

http://www.srrtc.org/History.html

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Very detailed, informative link. I sent them a note suggesting their History page needs to be updated to show the current non-running of the Sunset east of New Orleans.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I rode the Gulf Breeze a few times. Once, when it was fairly new, I rode a rooomette for daytime use from Altanta to Mobile and back.

Later on they dropped the New York to Mobile sleeper.

I have always taken the train from ATl to BHM and back-- often in a day. Usually, during the Gulf Breeze years, I think I was put in a Crescent coach to go from ATL to BHM, but in a Gulf Breeze coach to return from BHM to ATL.

I recall the Gulf Breeze was more on time than the Crescent. I recall over-hearing the regular passengers in the BHM station talking about how much more on time the Breeze was. Of course the Breeze would have to wait in the station at BHM until the Crescent arrived from NOL so the two trains could join.

That track from Birmingham to Montgomery to Mobile has seen quite a bit of use through the years.

Under Amtrak, the portion from Mobile ( en route from New Orleans) to a small town in Flomaton, Al.(not an Amtrak stop) was part of the Sunset's route from LA to NOL to Florida.

Then there was the Amtrak Gulf Coast Limited from Mobile to New Orleans

Before Amtrak it was used as the old route of the Crescent and Piedmont Limited from NY to WAS to ATL, Montgomery , Mobile and NOL (by-passing BHM and Meridian. That was handled by a train called the Southerner) .

It was used as part of the Cincinnati to NOL L&N mainline with trains like the Humming Bird(already mentioned above) the Pan American and the Azalean.

The Birmingham-Montgomery portion of it was used by the Chicago to Florida South Wind( forerunner to the Amtrak Floridian)

The portion from Flomaton, Ala. to Mobile and NOL was also used by the Gulf Wind, an overnighter from JAX to NOL duplicating today's Sunset Limited route, if ever and whenever the Sunset is restored to the east.

At one time, the southbound Pan American, from Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville and Birmingham would combine in Montgomery with the Piedmont Limited from NY, WAS, ATl. At Flomaton, the Gulf Wind from JAX would join them and then would run into NOL as three-trains-in-one.

I actually rode that long monster one day. I remember it well, It was the day Hurricane Camille also paid a visit to the area.

 

[George Harris]

I actually rode that long monster one day. I remember it well, It was the day Hurricane Camille also paid a visit to the area.

Camille also put the Gulf Coast tracks out fo service for a while. It took the track off the Bay St. Louis bridge, and shifted some of the concrete spans, but did not wash them completely off. they were reset, the track salvaged to the greatest extent possible, and away they went again.

George

 

[TVRM610]

I remember riding the Crescent when the Gulf Breeze was part of it. The diner stayed with the Crescnet, and the Lounge stayed with the Gulf Breeze. Those two trains together were so long, it was fun to walk from one end of the train all the way to the other. Between the diner, the lounge, various heritage coaches, sleepers, slumbercoaches, almost every car was different.

 

[had8ley]

I remember hearing of an Amtrak train called the Gulf Breeze. I know it was terminated in 1995. Was it a Amtrak budget cut? Also,where did it split off from the Crescent at? Did it make a good connection for the Sunset Limited in Mobile. If anyone can answer my questions,I'd be most appreciative. Thanks.

During the infamous 1984 World's Fair Amtrak ran a Mobile to New Orleans train. I have the timetable but cannot locate it right now. I think it was either called the Gulf Breeze or the Gulf Wind. Perhaps George could put the right name on the train. It left Mobile early in the morning for new Orleans and returned to Mobile early in the evening allowing visitors to come to the World's Fair. There was a futile attempt to keep the train on after the fair but it died. The L&N Gulf Breeze was a nice train to ride especially with the observation sleeper, full diner and split from the Pan American in Flomaton.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I remember hearing of an Amtrak train called the Gulf Breeze. I know it was terminated in 1995. Was it a Amtrak budget cut? Also,where did it split off from the Crescent at? Did it make a good connection for the Sunset Limited in Mobile. If anyone can answer my questions,I'd be most appreciative. Thanks.

During the infamous 1984 World's Fair Amtrak ran a Mobile to New Orleans train. I have the timetable but cannot locate it right now. I think it was either called the Gulf Breeze or the Gulf Wind. Perhaps George could put the right name on the train. It left Mobile early in the morning for new Orleans and returned to Mobile early in the evening allowing visitors to come to the World's Fair. There was a futile attempt to keep the train on after the fair but it died. The L&N Gulf Breeze was a nice train to ride especially with the observation sleeper, full diner and split from the Pan American in Flomaton.

The Amtrak World's Fair train might have been called the Gulf Coast Limited, not sure from memory.

The L&N train was called the Gulf Wind. That is the one with the neat observation car, etc.

 

[NativeSon5859]

I remember hearing of an Amtrak train called the Gulf Breeze. I know it was terminated in 1995. Was it a Amtrak budget cut? Also,where did it split off from the Crescent at? Did it make a good connection for the Sunset Limited in Mobile. If anyone can answer my questions,I'd be most appreciative. Thanks.

During the infamous 1984 World's Fair Amtrak ran a Mobile to New Orleans train. I have the timetable but cannot locate it right now. I think it was either called the Gulf Breeze or the Gulf Wind. Perhaps George could put the right name on the train. It left Mobile early in the morning for new Orleans and returned to Mobile early in the evening allowing visitors to come to the World's Fair. There was a futile attempt to keep the train on after the fair but it died. The L&N Gulf Breeze was a nice train to ride especially with the observation sleeper, full diner and split from the Pan American in Flomaton.

The Amtrak World's Fair train might have been called the Gulf Coast Limited, not sure from memory.

The L&N train was called the Gulf Wind. That is the one with the neat observation car, etc.

It was the Gulf Coast Limited that operated during the World's Fair period....and then it came back of course around 1997 on the same route. That new one lasted maybe a year I think.