Ever wonder about all those trains to Florida?

[Bill Haithcoat]

Sometimes people have questions about the trains which used to run from Chicago to Florida. When Amtrak was formed in 1971 it inherited the South Wind. It was soon renamed the Floridian and was discontinued in 1979.

But years before that there had not only been more trains from New York to Florida but also from Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, Boston........well, see for your self.

Pick up a December TRAINS and you will see a neat map on page 52 and 53.It is based on January 1953. Should answer many of your questions.

One negative is that it does not show more intermediate stops.

For example the South Wind stopped at Indianapolis between Chicago and Louisville.

Also the Dixie Flagler and Dixie Flyer stopped at Chattanooga between Nashville and Atlanta.

And the Southland and the Flamingo stopped at Knoxville between Cincinnati and Atlanta.

And the Royal Palm, New Royal Palm and the Ponce de Leon stopped at Chattanooga between Cincinnati and Atlanta.

You will see the Gulf Wind from New Orleans to Jacksonville listed here. It's name often comes up in discussion about the eastern route of the Sunset Limited.

Some readers may be surprised that the Orange BLossom Special was the name of a real train and not just the name of a song. (It was winter season only).

Keep in mind that this is a winter schedule. For the snowbirds. Some of the trains, especially from New York, were winter only. Winter season meant from about December 16 of one year to April 24 of the next. Guess they went south in droves after the holidays and came back in droves during the Spring. Many of the trains which were year round were heavier with sleepers during the winter.

The map is not meant to show trains which went for shorter distances on the listed routes. For example a very fine train called the Georgian went from Chicago overnight to Atlanta with through cars from St. Louis to Atlanta but is not listed here since it did not go to Florida. And some from Cincinnati to New Orleans and many more but it would be a pandora's box to open all that.

I hope some of you find this most interesting. Some of these are among the trains I grew up with.

 

[George Harris]

I know this is not to/from Florida, but another interesting train was the Kansas-City Florida Special, which ran KC, Springfield MO, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta, Macon, Jacksonville. Frisco west of Birmingham and Southern east of Birmingham. It lasted up until the mid-1960's, with its fate sealed after Southern discontinued the last segment into Jacksonville.

At the time of the trains article, a connection from St. Louis could be made using Frisco's overnight train to Memphis. Also, the cars of the Skyline Special were part of the train between Jesup GA and Jacksonville. The Skyone Special itself split into an Asheville train and a Charlotte train at Columbia SC, so you had to be sure you got in the right car in Jacksonville, or you could wake up a long way from your intended target.

By the way, the last scheduled passenger train to operate on Frisco rails was the City of Miami which accessed Birmingham via Frisco trackage rigths from Jasper, Alabama.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I know this is not to/from Florida, but another interesting train was the Kansas-City Florida Special, which ran KC, Springfield MO, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta, Macon, Jacksonville. Frisco west of Birmingham and Southern east of Birmingham. It lasted up until the mid-1960's, with its fate sealed after Southern discontinued the last segment into Jacksonville.
At the time of the trains article, a connection from St. Louis could be made using Frisco's overnight train to Memphis. Also, the cars of the Skyline Special were part of the train between Jesup GA and Jacksonville. The Skyone Special itself split into an Asheville train and a Charlotte train at Columbia SC, so you had to be sure you got in the right car in Jacksonville, or you could wake up a long way from your intended target.

By the way, the last scheduled passenger train to operate on Frisco rails was the City of Miami which accessed Birmingham via Frisco trackage rigths from Jasper, Alabama.

Agreed George, and the KC Fla Special and the Skyline Special are indeed listed in the article.

 

[DET63]

I know this is not to/from Florida, but another interesting train was the Kansas-City Florida Special, which ran KC, Springfield MO, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta, Macon, Jacksonville.

Jacksonville's not in Florida?

 

[George Harris]

I know this is not to/from Florida, but another interesting train was the Kansas-City Florida Special, which ran KC, Springfield MO, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta, Macon, Jacksonville.

Jacksonville's not in Florida?

Oops: I meant between the northeast and Florida.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I may have caused some confusion here. That is because my lead paragrah may have given the implication that this was about Chicago to Florida only.

I emphasized that since there is more confusion about that.

Nobody is confused about there ever having been trains from the northeast to Florida since we still have them today, well, a few of them!!

Hopefully the second paragraph clears it up a little.

Regardless, the TRAINS article definately lists all trains to Florida, from all points. It is well worth reading and buying.