Palmetto (ACL train)

Last updated

Palmetto
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
Locale Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic (United States) & Southeast United States
PredecessorPalmetto Limited
First service1944
Last service1968
Successor Palmetto (Amtrak train)
Former operator(s) Pennsylvania Railroad
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Seaboard Coast Line (1967–1968)
Route
Termini New York City
Augusta, Georgia and Savannah, Georgia; additional section to Wilmington, North Carolina
Distance travelled805 miles (1,296 km) (New York - Augusta)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)Southbound: 77
Northbound: 78
On-board services
Seating arrangements Reclining seat coaches (1955)
Sleeping arrangements Roomettes, double bedrooms and drawing rooms;
Open sections, compartments & drawing room (Washington–Savannah) (1955)
Catering facilitiesCafe car: New York–Washington; dining car: Washington–Savannah; cafe-lounge: Florence–Augusta & Rocky Mount–Wilmington (1955)
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Route map
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New York
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New York
New Jersey
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Newark
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Trenton
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New Jersey
Pennsylvania
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North Philadelphia
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Philadelphia
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Pennsylvania
Delaware
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Wilmington
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Delaware
Maryland
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Baltimore
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Maryland
District of Columbia
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Washington
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District of Columbia
Virginia
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Richmond
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Petersburg
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Virginia
North Carolina
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Rocky Mount
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Goldsboro
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Wilmington
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Wilson
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Dunn
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Fayetteville
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Pembroke
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North Carolina
South Carolina
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Dillon
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Florence
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Sumter
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Orangeburg
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Lake City
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Kingstree
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Lanes
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St. Stephen
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Moncks Corner
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Charleston
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Ravenel
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Green Pond
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Yemassee
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Ridgeland
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Hardeeville
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South Carolina
Georgia
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Augusta
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Savannah

The Palmetto was a night train between New York, New York and two different Georgia destinations, Augusta and Savannah. It was operated by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, with the cooperation of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad. During its final year it was operated by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (the post-merger successor of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad). [1]

Contents

Train origins

The 1939 timetable for the predecessor Palmetto Limited. Palmetto Limited schedule 1939.jpg
The 1939 timetable for the predecessor Palmetto Limited.

The train began in 1944. It had its origins in the ACL's Palmetto Limited (initiated in 1910). In addition to its main terminal points in Augusta and Savannah, the Palmetto had a branch that went to Wilmington, North Carolina's Union Station. At Augusta Union Station the train had a connection to Georgia Railroad's train from Augusta to Atlanta's Union Station. [1] [2]

Decline

In the 1960s the ACL and SCL cut some of the Palmetto's services. By 1963 the ACL trimmed its south of Richmond meal services to a cafe-lounge between Florence and Augusta, leaving the Savannah and Wilmington branches without food catering. [3] By 1965, the Savannah branch was dropped and Wilmington-bound riders had to change to another train at Rocky Mount. [4] Between December 1967 and 1968, the train was dropped from the SCL's timetables. Its Wilmington branch was the last train to serve Wilmington and its Union Station. [5] [6]

In 1976, Amtrak resurrected the name for a New York–Florida train; that train's route was shortened to end at Savannah in 2004.

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References

  1. 1 2 "'Palmetto'". American Rails.
  2. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad timetable, June 12, 1955, Tables D, 6
  3. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad timetable, December 13, 1963, Tables 4, 11
  4. 'Official Guide of the Railways,' July 1965, Atlantic Coast Line section, Tables 1, 7
  5. Seaboard Coast Line timetable, December 15, 1967, Table 11
  6. Seaboard Coast Line timetable, December 13, 1968