Today is December 16th!! This day(or 12/17 or 12/18) was the traditional day for railroads serving Florida to change over to their winter schedules and equipment. This was all about the "snowbirds" who lived in northern climes but who wintered in Florida. What did that mean? It meant pullmans!! pullmans!! Pullmans---as far as the eye could see!! And it usually changed back to summer on April 24.
For example: the Atlantic Coast Line would supplement its year round trains with the Florida Special, the Vacationer and the Miamian. Some of these were all pullman, others were heavily pullman (these things could change from year to year). Some years some of them had through equipment from Boston to Florida. Extra pullmans would often be put on the year around East Coast and West Coast Champions, as well.
The Seaboard would put extra sleepers on its trains. And if you go back far enough, there was the Orange Blossom Special, a seasonal all pullman SAL train.
The routes from Chicago and the mid-west got into the act as well. Trains like the City of Miami, the South Wind and the Dixie Flagler(re-equpped and re-named "Dixieland" in 1954) would put on extra pullmans. Such trains would be about 10 cars long in the summer but about 14 to 18 cars long in the winter.
Trains like the L&N Southland (in conjunction with PRR) from Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati to mostly the Florida west coast got an extra pullman or two, as did the Kansas City Florida Special.
The Southern Railway route (in conjunction with NYC) from Detroit, Buffalo, Cinncinati etc had extra cars or even an extra train in the winter, such as the New Royal Palm or the before that , the Florida Sunbeam.
The New Royal Palm would be about 15 cars long in the winter, vs. the much shorter regular year around Royal Palm.
The above summation is not meant to be complete---just to give a general idea.
Wonder what the snowbirds do these days? Is any of this reflected in Amtrak? Perhaps in the auto-train? Or do they all fly today? Anybody know?.
For example: the Atlantic Coast Line would supplement its year round trains with the Florida Special, the Vacationer and the Miamian. Some of these were all pullman, others were heavily pullman (these things could change from year to year). Some years some of them had through equipment from Boston to Florida. Extra pullmans would often be put on the year around East Coast and West Coast Champions, as well.
The Seaboard would put extra sleepers on its trains. And if you go back far enough, there was the Orange Blossom Special, a seasonal all pullman SAL train.
The routes from Chicago and the mid-west got into the act as well. Trains like the City of Miami, the South Wind and the Dixie Flagler(re-equpped and re-named "Dixieland" in 1954) would put on extra pullmans. Such trains would be about 10 cars long in the summer but about 14 to 18 cars long in the winter.
Trains like the L&N Southland (in conjunction with PRR) from Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati to mostly the Florida west coast got an extra pullman or two, as did the Kansas City Florida Special.
The Southern Railway route (in conjunction with NYC) from Detroit, Buffalo, Cinncinati etc had extra cars or even an extra train in the winter, such as the New Royal Palm or the before that , the Florida Sunbeam.
The New Royal Palm would be about 15 cars long in the winter, vs. the much shorter regular year around Royal Palm.
The above summation is not meant to be complete---just to give a general idea.
Wonder what the snowbirds do these days? Is any of this reflected in Amtrak? Perhaps in the auto-train? Or do they all fly today? Anybody know?.
