City of Miami
Encyclopedia
This article is about the streamliner. For the city in Florida, see Miami.
The City of Miami was a seven-car coach streamliner
inaugurated by Illinois Central Railroad
on December 18, 1940. Its route was from Chicago
to Miami a total distance of 1493 miles (2,402.7 km).
The City of Miami was powered by a single EMD E6
A 2000 hp diesel passenger cab unit. The entire train was painted in an Orange and Palm Green scheme with Scarlet stripes and lettering. Up to and including this new train the Illinois Central seemed to have difficulty deciding on a paint scheme for their streamlined trains. The Green Diamond
, Illini
, Miss Lou, and now the City of Miami were all painted in their own distinct paint schemes.
Illinois Central was the key player in the City's long run from 1940 to 1971. Immaculately maintained equipment and perfectly matched consists in IC's familiar “Autumn Sunset” chocolate, orange, and yellow were traditional hallmarks of the ever popular Florida streamliner. Indeed, the City was a beautiful sight racing through the countryside between Lake Michigan and Biscayne Bay. During the peak winter season long trains carried several lounges and diners in addition to a sleeper lounge and tavern lounge observation on the rear. Domes were added in 1959. Courier Nurses were replaced by Passenger Service Reps in later years, but a high standard of service was maintained right up to May 1, 1971 when Amtrak took over and dropped the City of Miami and reinstated the South Wind on the
Chicago-Florida route.
the streamliner scorched IC rails. Leaving Birmingham the train traversed the Central of Georgia Railway to Albany, Georgia
. From Albany to Jacksonville the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
(Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
from July 1967) was used. The Florida East Coast Railroad operated the train from Jacksonville to Miami until the FEC strike of 1963. In 1957 the West Coast Champion http://www.getcruising.com/rails/museum.html began hauling thru-cars for the City of Miami and South Wind http://www.jacksonvilleterminal.com/champion.htm streamliners to and from Chicago on its Jacksonville-Tampa/Sarasota leg via Orlando and its Jacksonville-St. Petersburg section via Gainesville and Ocala. After the 1963 FEC strike the City of Miami and all ACL Miami-bound trains were rerouted through Orlando via ACL to Auburndale where they crossed over to SAL (SCL) rails to reach West Palm Beach and Miami. Tampa through service was dropped after the 1967 ACL/SAL (SCL) merger leaving only every-other-day City of Miami and South Wind stub trains on the former ACL Jacksonville-Gainesville-St. Petersburg branchline with connecting "limousine" service to Tampa. The St.Pete and Miami sections were split and joined at Jacksonville until Amtrak arrived on May 1, 1971.
The only engine change to occur on this route was at Jacksonville where the IC E6A 4000 was exchanged for the FEC E3A 1001 to Miami. The City of Miami was the only one of the three Chicago to Miami lightweight streamlined trains to operate with diesel power over the entire route from the beginning. The City of Miami route was 1,493 miles and the train made 25 stops in route, only one of which, the Jacksonville stop, was for an engine change. In spite of the number of stops the diesel proved more than capable of maintaining a 50 mph (22.4 m/s) average. The City of Miami consist was the only one of the three Chicago – Miami lightweight streamlined trains to operate with cars built by Pullman
Standard and the only one of the three trains to be diesel powered end terminal to end terminal.
Beginning April 23, 1949 the City of Miami added sleeping cars to its consist. These cars were carried forward of the coaches in the City of Miami consist maintaining quick access for coach passengers to the tavern-observation-lounge car on the rear. By 1958 the "colored" coach had been removed from the consist.
The City of Miami was a seven-car coach streamliner
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
inaugurated by Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
on December 18, 1940. Its route was from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to Miami a total distance of 1493 miles (2,402.7 km).
The City of Miami was powered by a single EMD E6
EMD E6
The EMD E6 was a , A1A-A1A, passenger train locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor, General Motors Electro-Motive Division, of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, or E6A, was manufactured from November, 1939 to September, 1942, and 91 were produced...
A 2000 hp diesel passenger cab unit. The entire train was painted in an Orange and Palm Green scheme with Scarlet stripes and lettering. Up to and including this new train the Illinois Central seemed to have difficulty deciding on a paint scheme for their streamlined trains. The Green Diamond
Green Diamond
The Green Diamond of the Illinois Central Railroad was a diesel streamliner built in 1936 by Pullman-Standard and powered by Electro-Motive Corporation. It was the last streamliner built with the power car articulated with the train; future streamliners featured a matched but separable locomotive...
, Illini
Illini
Illini can refer to:* Chief Illiniwek, formerly the mascot of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign* Illiniwek, a group of six Native American tribes in the upper Mississippi River valley of North America...
, Miss Lou, and now the City of Miami were all painted in their own distinct paint schemes.
Illinois Central was the key player in the City's long run from 1940 to 1971. Immaculately maintained equipment and perfectly matched consists in IC's familiar “Autumn Sunset” chocolate, orange, and yellow were traditional hallmarks of the ever popular Florida streamliner. Indeed, the City was a beautiful sight racing through the countryside between Lake Michigan and Biscayne Bay. During the peak winter season long trains carried several lounges and diners in addition to a sleeper lounge and tavern lounge observation on the rear. Domes were added in 1959. Courier Nurses were replaced by Passenger Service Reps in later years, but a high standard of service was maintained right up to May 1, 1971 when Amtrak took over and dropped the City of Miami and reinstated the South Wind on the
Chicago-Florida route.
Route
The new and improved Route was reinvented by Kevin A. Calzada of Miami, Florida. The City of Miami ran from Chicago to Miami by way of Champaign, Centralia, Fulton, Jackson, Birmingham, Columbus, Waycross, and Jacksonville. Between Chicago and BirminghamBirmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
the streamliner scorched IC rails. Leaving Birmingham the train traversed the Central of Georgia Railway to Albany, Georgia
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
. From Albany to Jacksonville the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
(Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a former Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971...
from July 1967) was used. The Florida East Coast Railroad operated the train from Jacksonville to Miami until the FEC strike of 1963. In 1957 the West Coast Champion http://www.getcruising.com/rails/museum.html began hauling thru-cars for the City of Miami and South Wind http://www.jacksonvilleterminal.com/champion.htm streamliners to and from Chicago on its Jacksonville-Tampa/Sarasota leg via Orlando and its Jacksonville-St. Petersburg section via Gainesville and Ocala. After the 1963 FEC strike the City of Miami and all ACL Miami-bound trains were rerouted through Orlando via ACL to Auburndale where they crossed over to SAL (SCL) rails to reach West Palm Beach and Miami. Tampa through service was dropped after the 1967 ACL/SAL (SCL) merger leaving only every-other-day City of Miami and South Wind stub trains on the former ACL Jacksonville-Gainesville-St. Petersburg branchline with connecting "limousine" service to Tampa. The St.Pete and Miami sections were split and joined at Jacksonville until Amtrak arrived on May 1, 1971.
The only engine change to occur on this route was at Jacksonville where the IC E6A 4000 was exchanged for the FEC E3A 1001 to Miami. The City of Miami was the only one of the three Chicago to Miami lightweight streamlined trains to operate with diesel power over the entire route from the beginning. The City of Miami route was 1,493 miles and the train made 25 stops in route, only one of which, the Jacksonville stop, was for an engine change. In spite of the number of stops the diesel proved more than capable of maintaining a 50 mph (22.4 m/s) average. The City of Miami consist was the only one of the three Chicago – Miami lightweight streamlined trains to operate with cars built by Pullman
Pullman Company
The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
Standard and the only one of the three trains to be diesel powered end terminal to end terminal.
City of Miami Consist
- ICIllinois Central RailroadThe Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
4000 EMD E6A 2,000 hp diesel passenger cab unit (Chicago – Jacksonville) - FECFlorida East Coast RailwayThe Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad.Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a project of Standard Oil principal Henry Morrison...
1001 EMC E3A 2,000 hp diesel passenger cab unit (Jacksonville – Miami)
- 1900 BOUGAINVILLEA baggage / 14 crew dormitory / 22 revenue seat coach combination car ("Colored" coach reserved for black passengers..)
- 2600 CAMELLIA 52-revenue seat coach with nurses quarters
- 2601 JAPONICA 60-revenue seat coach
- 4100 PALM GARDEN 48-seat dining car (Black passengers restricted to two tables behind a curtain partition next to the blazing hot kitchen..)
- 2602 HIBISCUS 60 revenue seat coach
- 2603 POINSETTIA 60 revenue seat coach
- 3300 BAMBOO GROVE 32-seat tavern lounge bar 22-seat lounge observation (African-Americans were not allowed to sit in this car.)
Beginning April 23, 1949 the City of Miami added sleeping cars to its consist. These cars were carried forward of the coaches in the City of Miami consist maintaining quick access for coach passengers to the tavern-observation-lounge car on the rear. By 1958 the "colored" coach had been removed from the consist.