Pan-American (train)

Last updated
Pan-American
The Pan American Louisville and Nashville.JPG
Postcard photo of the heavyweight train
Overview
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleMidwestern United States/southeastern United States
First serviceDecember 5, 1921
Last serviceApril 30, 1971
Former operator(s) Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Route
Termini Cincinnati, Ohio
New Orleans, Louisiana
Distance travelled922 miles (1,484 km)
Average journey timeSouthbound: 23 hrs 10 min; northbound: 23 hrs 15 min
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)Southbound: 99, northbound: 98
On-board services
Seating arrangementsReclining seat coaches
Sleeping arrangements Roomettes, double bedrooms
Catering facilities Dining car; lounge car

The Pan-American was a passenger train operated by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) between Cincinnati, Ohio and New Orleans, Louisiana. It operated from 1921 until 1971. From 1921 to 1965 a section served Memphis, Tennessee via Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Pan-American was the L&N's flagship train until the introduction of the Humming Bird in 1946. Its name honored the substantial traffic the L&N carried to and from the seaports on the Gulf of Mexico. The Pan-American was one of many trains discontinued when Amtrak began operations in 1971.

Contents

History

The L&N introduced the Pan-American on December 5, 1921. [1] :283 A section of the train diverged at Bowling Green, Kentucky to serve Memphis, Tennessee. [2] :10 At the outset the train carried both sleepers and coaches, and was noteworthy for its all-steel construction in an era when wood heavyweight coaches were still common. The name honored the substantial traffic the L&N carried to and from the seaports on the Gulf of Mexico. [3] :108 It covered the 921 miles (1,482 km) from Cincinnati to New Orleans in 26 hours, soon shortened to exactly 24 hours. [4] :426 [5] :129

The train proved popular with the traveling public, and in 1925 was re-equipped as an "All-Pullman" (no coaches) train. [6] :147 Its popularity contributed to businesses named after it; the Pan-American Lunch Room operated in Nashville, Tennessee in the 1920s. [7] The economic pressures of the Great Depression forced the Pan-American to start carrying coaches again in 1933.

Like many L&N trains, the Pan-American experienced a surge in ridership during World War II, carrying four times its normal traffic. [2] :24 The Pan-American lost its title as the L&N's flagship train in 1946 with the introduction of faster Humming Bird over the same route. [5] :137 Although never fully streamlined, the Pan-American began receiving streamlined equipment in 1949. The southbound Pan-American carried through sleepers for Nashville, Tennessee, Louisville, Kentucky and Memphis from New York City conveyed by the Pennsylvania Railroad in Cincinnati. [8] Further south in Montgomery, Alabama it received New York-New Orleans and Washington-New Orleans sleepers from the Southern Railway's Piedmont Limited . [9] :538

In 1953 the Pan-American was one of several L&N trains to receive new lightweight "Pine"-series sleeping cars from Pullman-Standard. [10] Throughout the 1960s, the decline of passenger railroading in the United States took its toll on ridership and amenities. A counter-lounge replaced the diner-lounge in 1965. [5] :139 The Pan-American began handling some of the South Wind's through traffic in 1970 after the Penn Central withdrew from joint operation. [5] :140 By 1970 the train's consist had shrunk dramatically: between Cincinnati and Louisville it might carry only a baggage car, coach, and dining car, with a sleeper for New Orleans added in Louisville. Amtrak did not retain service over the L&N route, and the Pan-American ended on April 30, 1971. [3] :111

Cultural influence

Postcard of the Pan-American passing the WSM transmitter in Nashville Pan-American whistle WSM.jpg
Postcard of the Pan-American passing the WSM transmitter in Nashville

In the words of Kincaid Herr, official historian of the L&N, the Pan-American "came to be the symbol of the L&N's passenger service." [11] :235 The train was made famous by WSM Radio's nightly broadcast of the passing train's whistle. Some Pan-American passengers were lucky enough to sit in comfortable lounge chairs and hear the sound of their own train's whistle from a wood-cabinet table radio tuned to WSM in the observation car. The broadcasts began on August 15, 1933. [2] :26 [11] :259

The Pan-American inspired several songs:

"Pan-American Blues" was one of two railroad songs recorded by DeFord Bailey (the other being "Dixie Flyer Blues", so named for another L&N train. Bailey saw the Pan-American frequently at Nashville's Union Station in the 1920s, but the inspiration for name came from one of his foster sisters, who noted that "it was the fastest around." Bailey, with his harmonica, imitated the sound of the Pan-American's whistle and it quickly became one of his most-requested performances at the Grand Ole Opry and elsewhere. [13] :78–80

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway</span> Defunct railway company in the southeastern United States (1851-1957)

The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a railway company that operated in the U.S. states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, chartered in Nashville on December 11, 1845, built to 5 ft gauge and was the first railway to operate in the state of Tennessee. By the turn of the twentieth century, the NC&StL grew into one of the most important railway systems in the southern United States.

The Tennessee Central Railway was founded in 1884 as the Nashville and Knoxville Railroad by Alexander S. Crawford. It was an attempt to open up a rail route from the coal and minerals of East Tennessee to the markets of the midstate, a service which many businessmen felt was not being adequately provided by the existing railroad companies. They also wanted to ship coal and iron ore to the Northeastern US over the Cincinnati Southern Railway, which was leased to the Southern and operated as the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (CNOTP), through their Cincinnati gateway. The N&K was only completed between Lebanon, where it connected to a Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway branch from Nashville, and Standing Stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisville and Nashville Railroad</span> Defunct American Class I railway

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad, commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.

The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway is a railroad that leases the Cincinnati Southern Railway from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and sub leases it to the Norfolk Southern Railway system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Station (Louisville)</span>

The Union Station of Louisville, Kentucky is a historic railroad station that serves as offices for the Transit Authority of River City (TARC), as it has since mid-April 1980 after receiving a year-long restoration costing approximately $2 million. It was one of at least five union stations in Kentucky, amongst others located in Lexington, Covington, Paducah and Owensboro. It was one of three stations serving Louisville, the others being Central Station and Southern Railway Station. It superseded previous, smaller, railroad depots located in Louisville, most notably one located at Tenth and Maple in 1868–1869, and another L&N station built in 1858. The station was formally opened on September 7, 1891, by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. There was a claim made at the time that it was the largest railroad station in the Southern United States, covering forty acres. The other major station in Louisville was Central Station, serving the Baltimore and Ohio, the Illinois Central and other railroads.

<i>George Washington</i> (train) Cincinnati-DC passenger rail service

The George Washington was a named passenger train of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway running between Cincinnati, Ohio and Washington, D.C. that operated from 1932, the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington, to 1974. A section divided from the main train at Gordonsville, Virginia and operated through Richmond to Phoebus, Virginia. From the west, a section originated in Louisville and joined at Ashland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis Union Station</span> Former intercity railroad station in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.

Memphis Union Station was a passenger terminal in Memphis, Tennessee. It served as a hub between railroads of the Southwest, the Missouri Pacific Railroad and the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, and railroads of the Southeast, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway and the Southern Railway. The terminal, completed in 1912, was built in the Beaux-Arts style and was located on Calhoun Street, between south Second Street and Rayburn Boulevard. It was demolished in 1969. This location in south Memphis was approximately two blocks east of the other major Memphis railroad terminal, Memphis Grand Central Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birmingham station (Alabama)</span>

Birmingham station is a train station in Birmingham, Alabama. It is a service stop for Amtrak's Crescent, which provides daily service between New York City, Atlanta, and New Orleans. The current station is located on the site of another station originally built by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1960, although Amtrak did not use the building itself, which was torn down in the 2000s.

<i>Humming Bird</i> (train)

The Humming Bird was a named train of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N). The train, inaugurated in 1946, originally ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, to New Orleans, Louisiana, via Louisville, Nashville, Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile and later via a connection at Bowling Green, Kentucky, to Memphis, Tennessee. A connection to Chicago was provided by the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad.

The Cincinnati Limited was a named train of the Pennsylvania Railroad; the train traveled from New York City's Pennsylvania Station to the Cincinnati Union Terminal. It was a rival to New York Central's Ohio State Limited. The Cincinnati Limited carried connecting sleeping cars to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad's Cincinnati to New Orleans Pan American. By the mid-1950s, the sleeper extension on L&N lines ended at Memphis instead of New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Railpark and Train Museum (Bowling Green, Kentucky)</span> Former railway station in Bowling Green, Kentucky

The Historic Railpark and Train Museum, formerly the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is located in the historic railroad station. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1979. Opened in 1925, the standing depot is the third Louisville & Nashville Railroad depot that served Bowling Green.

The South Wind was a named passenger train equipped and operated jointly by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and the Florida East Coast Railway. The South Wind began operations in December 1940, providing streamliner service between Chicago, Illinois and Miami, Florida. This was one of three new seven-car, all-coach streamliners operating in coordination every third day along different routes between Chicago and Miami. The other two longest enduring Chicago-Florida trains were the City of Miami and the Dixie Flagler. The South Wind remained in service through the creation of Amtrak in 1971.

The Gulf Wind was a streamlined passenger train inaugurated on July 31, 1949, as a joint operation by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. The Gulf Wind replaced the heavyweight New Orleans - Florida Express on this routing. The Gulf Wind was a limited stops train and offered amenities such as dining cars and Pullman service. The train left Jacksonville at night and arrived in New Orleans in the evening, as the Express had done.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisville and Nashville 152</span> Preserved American 4-6-2 locomotive

Louisville & Nashville 152 is a preserved K-2a class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive listed on the National Register of Historic Places, currently homed at the Kentucky Railway Museum at New Haven, Kentucky in southernmost Nelson County, Kentucky. It is the oldest known remaining 4-6-2 "Pacific" type locomotive to exist. It is also the "Official State Locomotive of Kentucky", designated as such on March 6, 2000. The locomotive is currently owned and being restored back to operating condition by the Kentucky Railway Museum.

<i>Dixie Flagler</i>

The Dixie Flagler was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) between Chicago, Illinois and Miami, Florida. It began in 1939 as the Henry M. Flagler, a regional service between Miami and Jacksonville, Florida; the FEC renamed it and extended it to Chicago a year later. It was one of the few Chicago to Florida trains that passed through Atlanta. As an overnight streamliner it was part of the every-third-day pool shared by the City of Miami and South Wind. It was renamed Dixieland in 1954 and discontinued altogether in 1957.

<i>Carolina Special</i>

The Carolina Special was a passenger train operated by the Southern Railway between Cincinnati, Ohio and the Carolinas. It operated from 1911 to 1968. It was the last passenger train to use the route of the Charleston and Hamburg Railroad, which, as the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company, began operation in December 1830, as one of the oldest railroads in the United States, and, by 1833, operated a 136-mile (219 km) line to Hamburg, South Carolina, on the Savannah River, the country's longest at that time. All Southern Railway Pullman service to Charleston rode over that historic, if bucolic, route from Branchville to the port city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine series (railcar)</span> Class of 29 Pullman 6–6-4 sleeping cars

The Pine series was a fleet of sleeping cars built by Pullman-Standard in 1953. The cars were built according to Pullman plan 4183; each contained six sections, six roomettes and four double bedrooms. The cars were originally owned by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N), the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (C&EI), and the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL).

<i>Dixie Flyer</i> (train)

The Dixie Flyer was a premier named passenger train that operated from 1892 to 1965 via the "Dixie Route" from Chicago and St. Louis via Evansville, Nashville, and Atlanta to Florida. However, the train continued until 1969 as an Atlanta to Florida operation, run solely by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and its successor, the Seaboard Coast Line. The Flyer's route varied in early years, but by about 1920 was set as follows:

The Flamingo was a passenger night train operated by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Station (Louisville)</span> Former rail station in Kentucky, USA

Central Station was a major train station in Louisville, Kentucky. Built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, it served several railroad companies until the mid-20th century. It was situated at North 7th Street and West River Road, near the Ohio River waterfront, and it was also known as the 7th Street Depot.

References

  1. EuDaly, Kevin; et al. (2009). The Complete Book of North American Railroading. Minneapolis: Voyageur Press. ISBN   978-0-7603-2848-4. OCLC   209631579.
  2. 1 2 3 Comer, Kevin (2012). Louisville & Nashville Railroad in South Central Kentucky. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-0738592145. OCLC   759916711.
  3. 1 2 Schafer, Mike (1996). Classic American Railroads. Saint Paul, MN: MBI. ISBN   978-0-7603-0239-2. OCLC   768619768.
  4. Klein, Maury (2003) [1972]. History of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN   0813122635. OCLC   248817483.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Cox, Jim (2011). Rails Across Dixie: A History of Passenger Trains in the American South. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN   9780786445288. OCLC   609716000.
  6. Prince, Richard E. (2000) [1968]. Louisville & Nashville Steam Locomotives. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN   025333764X. OCLC   46648011.
  7. https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2469/13399408?pid=1373584605&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D2469%26h%3D1373584605%26tid%3D82991240%26pid%3D382070537565%26hid%3D1041385891937%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3DIAO2307%26_phstart%3Ddefault%26usePUBJs%3Dtrue&treeid=82991240&personid=382070537565&hintid=1041385891937&usePUB=true&_phsrc=IAO2307&_phstart=default&usePUBJs=true (registration required) Pan-American Lunch Room, 2620 Jefferson, Nashville, TN City Directory, 1929 [ user-generated source ]
  8. 1 2 "The L&N's Pan American". American-Rails.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  9. Official Guide of the Railways . New York: National Railway Publication Co. March 1950. OCLC   6340864.
  10. "THE TOWERING PINE SLEEPER CAR". The Historic Railpark and Train Museum. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  11. 1 2 Herr, Kincaid A. (2000) [1964]. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad, 1850–1963. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN   0813121841. OCLC   44128340.
  12. Yenne, Bill (2005). Atlas of North American railroads. Minneapolis: MBI. ISBN   0760322996. OCLC   475547092.
  13. Morton, David C.; Charles K. Wolfe (1991). DeFord Bailey: A Black Star in Early Country Music. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN   0870496980. OCLC   22710812.