Illinois Central passenger trains

[clehman]

I'm interested in all passenger trains that ran in the 1940s & 1950s, especially the consists. I have been looking for information on I.C. passenger train consists and found some things I'd like to get more details on. It looks like the 'City of Miami' was all coach, which surprises me since the train took over 24 hours to make a run between Chicago and Miami! The 'City of New Orleans' appears to be all coach too. Again, it seems this train would have some sleepers since it was such a long trip. Anyone have consist information on these two I.C. trains? Anything would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Tadman]

I'd suggest "Limiteds Along the Lakefront" by Alan Lind. As of 1948 the Panama Limited was diesel but heavyweight still. I belive it was powered by an A-A set of E6's. Eventually the train was converted to lightweight but sometimes a heavyweight baggage snuck in. In the original configuration, the E6's were gorgeous, with the orange stripe and twin white accent spears.

[shlustig]

City of New Orleans was all-coach / parlor. No sleepers.

Schedule called for a 16' running time either direction.

Panama Limited was all sleeper / parlor and also had a 16' schedule.

[atlpete]

Recommend Cliford Downey's IC Color Pictorial Vol 1, Passenger Service as well, currently available from Four Ways West. Pretty complete photo coverage and specfically lot's of consist info.
City of Miami got sleepers in 1949 and kept them till the end. City of New Orleans stayed coach/parlor through-out it's service life.
The IC ran a lot of passenger trains up into the sixties and has been somewhat under-documented IMO given the size, beauty and over-all quality of it's service. Other name trains to mention include the Seminole (opposite the City of Miami I think as far a Jacksonville), Creole and Lousiane also to N.O., Green Diamond to St.L, and Land o Corn and Hawkeye to Iowa.
One thing to note, the Florida trains were interline, and included cars from partners Central of Georgia and ACL painted in Orange and Brown, IC being a stickler for matching consists.

[CarterB]

Regarding the 'all coach' City of Miami. When many of the overnight streamlined trains to the South were inaguarated in the late 30's early 40's, they were originally an 'economy' travel option, supplementing the other trains. Wartime also affected any ability to get new sleepers. IIRC the original SRR Southerner, SAL Silver Comet-Silver Meteor, ACL Champion, C&EI/L&N/FEC Dixie Flagler/Dixie Flyer and the PRR South Wind were all coach service for several years post war and were not 'upgraded' to carry pullmans until the early 50s when the post-war economy got better.

As far as the CNO is concerned, from the inception it was a 'day' run Chg-NO to supplement the overnight Panama Ltd., so never had nor needed sleepers.

[umtrr-author]

I guess it's my turn to revive a long dormant topic...

Micro-Trains has announced Z Scale streamlined passenger cars painted in Illinois Central colors (chocolate/orange) and while researching them for my column I tripped over this:

http://www.cbu.edu/~mcondren/MRP/Memphi ... CT1946.pdf

It's a car by car roster of every IC passenger train in or out of Memphis from the evening of October 6 through October 8 1946. Fascinating...

BTW this thread comes up on Google when searching "'Illinois Central' + passenger"...

[CarterB]

Those were the days!! Even the #s of cars in each consist is impressive.

[jack009]

The IC was one of the earlier Class I railroads in the US. Its roots stretch back to abortive attempts by the Illinois General Assembly to charter a railroad linking the northern and southern parts of the state of Illinois. In 1850 U.S. President Millard Fillmore signed a land grant for the construction of the railroad, making the Illinois Central the first land-grant railroad in the United States.
The Illinois Central was officially chartered by the Illinois General Assembly on February 10, 1851.[1] Upon its completion in 1856, the IC was the longest railroad in the world. Its main line went from Cairo, Illinois, at the southern tip of the state, to Galena, in the northwest corner. A branch line went from Centralia (named for the railroad) to the rapidly growing city of Chicago. In Chicago, its tracks were laid along the shore of Lake Michigan and on an offshore causeway downtown, but landfilling and natural deposition have moved the present day shore to the east.
==================================================================================================================================
jack009

Illinois Drug Treatment

[thomson]

The IC was one of the earlier Class I railroads in the US. Its roots stretch back to abortive attempts by the Illinois General Assembly to charter a railroad linking the northern and southern parts of the state of Illinois. In 1850 U.S. President Millard Fillmore signed a land grant for the construction of the railroad, making the Illinois Central the first land-grant railroad in the United States.
=======================================================================================================
james

Illinois Drug Addiction

[CarterB]

1850 U.S. Senator Stephen Douglas arranges a checkerboard compromise to create the first federal land grant railroad, the Illinois Central. Illinois Central Railroad attorney Abraham Lincoln will soon challenge Stephen Douglas for political office, and, with the Illinois Central's help, will eventually be elected president of the United States, from which office he will sign the largest of the railroad land grants into law.

Ear-marks alive and well in the Land of Lincoln!!!

[Mitch]

IC Trains 1&2 The City of New Orleans didn't carry parlor cars. It was all coach.