There are at least three Atlantic Coast Line timetables involved here for the year 1956. One effective October 30, 1955
which covers the winter months of 1956. One for April 29, 1956 and one for October 28, 1956. I don't know just which one
you are interested in so I will more or less cover the three of them:
October 30, 1955 - Train no. 75, the Havana Special left Washington at 3:05 AM. The through cars came down from New
York on PRR 141 and this arrangement lasted all the way in to the Penn Central period.
Reclining Seat Coaches between all points
Tavern Lounge - Richmond - Jacksonville
Diner - Washington - Jacksonville
Sleepers - Washington - Orlando (8 Sections, 2 Compartments, 1 Drawing Room)
New York - Miami (8 Sections, 5 Double Bedrooms)
New York - Tampa (10 Roomettes, 6 Double Bedrooms)
New York - Wilmington (14 Roomettes, 2 Drawing Rooms)
Jacksonville - Fort Myers (10 Sections, 1 Compartment, 1 Drawing Room)
This being the winter season, I suspect the cars with sections might well have been heavyweight sleepers as they were in
common use on some of the Florida trains of the period.
April 29, 1956: Departed Washington at 1:50 AM
Orlando sleeper had 10 Sections instead of 8
Sleeper - New York - Florence (21 Roomettes)
Cafe-Lounge - Rocky Mount to Wilmington
otherwise the same as the winter schedule
October 28, 1956:
Departed Washington 1:50 AM
Diner - Richmond - Jacksonville
New York - Wilmington (14 Roomettes, 2 Drawing Rooms)
Otherwise as shown for the previous October.
We need to remember that this set of trains took two nights to make the trip between New York and Miami, Tampa and
other Florida points south of Jacksonville. The train got a big switch at Jacksonville and all of the sections laid over for at
least 4 hours at Jacksonville. It provided much service to stations in Southern Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia with
daytime arrivals and departures. It also carried a lot of mail and express.
Another big purpose of this train was pass riders. Passes were restricted on all of the better trains to and from Florida on
both the ACL and SAL and this train provided a decent alternative for pass riders to and from Florida points.
Prior to the Labor Day Hurricane in 1935, this train was also the through train to Key West with through cars from New York
and other points including Parlor, Lounge, Observation and Dining cars all the way.
In later years after the strike on the Florida East Coast the Atlantic Coast Line had to detour their Miami passenger service
over the Seaboard and this train no longer provided service to Miami. Around that time it was renamed the "Gulf Coast
Special" and at Richmond it was combined with the Seaboard train the Palmland for the trip between Richmond and New York.
Noel Weaver
