Passenger Trains of the Southern Railway
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- Passenger Trains | Asheville Special | Birmingham Special | Carolina Special | Crescent | Peach Queen | Pelican | Piedmont Limited | Ponce de Leon | Royal Palm | Southerner | Tennessean
- Cities: Bristol TN/VA
- Related Lines: Embreeville Branch | Johnson City & Carolina | Johnson City Southern
- Notable People: Dr. Samuel B. Cunningham | Samuel Spencer | W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
- Today: Norfolk Southern
- Railfan Guides: Virginia & Southwestern
- Resources & Sources: Books | Scholars-Authors | Museums | Associations | Website Editor | Site Map
- Related Websites: Rails Across the Appalachians | Clinchfield.org
Southern Railway Passenger Trains
Southern always had its passenger service as a top priority and a point of pride. Their trains were well known such as their streamliners like the Southerner and the Tennessean, their flagship The Crescent, and their Florida trains such as their Ponce de Leon and the Royal Palm.
Four Primary Corridors
The trains basically ran on and across four main corridors:
- Southern Route (NYC to Atlanta/New Orleans) – through Lynchburg VA, Greensboro NC, Charlotte NC, Greenville SC, and Atlanta
- Northern Route (NYC to Birmingham/New Orleans) – through Lynchburg VA, Bristol TN/VA, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Birmingham
- Florida Route – through Cincinnati, Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Macon
- Carolina Routes – Asheville NC, Greensboro NC, Raleigh NC, Charlotte NC, Columbia SC, Charleston SC, and August GA.
Partner Railroads
On some segments of Southern’s trains, they relied on long-term partnerships with the following railroads:
- Atlanta & West Point Railroad: Atlanta GA to Montgomery AL
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad: St. Louis to Cincinnati OH
- Florida East Coast Railway: Jacksonville to Miami FL
- Louisville & Nashville: Montgomery AL to New Orleans LA
- New York Central: Chicago IL to Cincinnati OH, Detroit MI to Cincinnati OH, Cleveland OH to Cincinnati OH
- Norfolk & Western Railway: Lynchburg to Bristol VA
- Seaboard Air Line: Jacksonville to Tampa FL
- Pennsylvania Railroad: New York NY to Washington DC
Artwork: Excellent Southern Railway posters that can be purchased on Etsy from PosterDog
Southern’s Trains in Detail
Southern Route via Charlotte, Atlanta, Montgomery and Mobile
- The Crescent – New York to New Orleans
- Piedmont Limited – New York to New Orleans
Southern Route via Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and Meridian
- The Southerner – New York to New Orleans
Southern Route via Lynchburg and Charlotte
- The Peach Queen – New York to Atlanta
- The New Yorker – Atlanta to New York
Northern Route via Roanoke, Knoxville, and Chattanooga
- Birmingham Special – New York City to Birmingham
- Pelican – New York City to New Orleans
- Tennessean – Washington DC to Memphis
- Ending in the 1950s, there was also a Bristol to Knoxville local each day, both directions.
In 1960, the stops along this route in East Tennessee included: Bristol. Johnson City. Greenville, Morristown, and Knoxville.
The Florida Trains
- Ponce de Leon – Chicago IL to Miami/Tampa FL
- Royal Palm – Chicago IL to Miami/Tampa FL
The Carolina Trains
- Asheville Special – New York to Asheville
- Aiken Augusta Special – New York to Augusta GA
- Carolina Special – Chicago IL to Charleston SC
- Skyland Special – Asheville NC to Miami/Tampa FL
One of my favorite Southern Railway passenger photos is this 1950 photo taken by Otto Perry. It is the Tennessean heading east, just two minutes away from the Johnson City station. The engines are Alcos DL-107s, which helped inaugurate the streamline version of the Tennessean. The train included multiple sleeping cars, a diner, coaches, and was also known for carrying a large amount of U.S. Mail and express.
Photo is copyrighted and courtesy of the Western History Department of the Denver Public Library (http://photoswest.org/
Southern’s 1952 Passenger Trains Overview
The early 1950s was a key time when most of the Southern historic trains were still on the schedule, but at the same time, Southern fully realized they had challenging competition from cars and airplanes.
Click here for a complete overview of the Southern’s passenger service in 1952.
Schedule for Birmingham Special, Pelican, and Tennessean
A typical schedule for the trains via Bristol-Johnson City-Knoxville. This is one of many I have for the Southern Passenger trains. In the days ahead I’ll post more schedules (by year) and provide background on how these passenger trains evolved and eventually ended.
More Southern Railway information will be added to this page and others in the days ahead. Please let me know if you have any edits that should be made or any content you are willing to share by utilizing the comment form below. Would enjoy hearing from you if you have similar interests in the railroads, the region, or model railroading.
Links for Additional Information
Here are some excellent film clips from Southern Passenger trains in the 1950s.
Click here for more information from the Southern Railway Historical Association
Southern-Railroads.org Sources and Resources
The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the Southern Railway and its predecessors. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Southern-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.
- Association: Southern Railway Historical Association
- Personal maps, timetables, track charts, and memorabilia
- Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi: The Southern Railway
- Book – Graybeal: The Railroads of Johnson City
- Book – Harshaw: ‘Trains Trestles & Tunnels, Railroads of the Southern Appalachians’
- Book – Lindsey: ‘Norfolk Southern 1995 Review’
- Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina’
- Book – Reisweber: ‘Southern Railway Power’
- Book – Scales: Natural Tunnel, Nature’s Marvel in Stone’
- Book – Stout: ‘Southern Railway: Through Passenger Service’
- Book – Ward: ‘Southern Railway Varnish 1964-1979’
- Book – Webb: ‘The Southern Railway System: An Illustrated History’
- Book – Wiley & Wallace: ‘The Southern Railway Handbook’
- Book – Withers & Sink: ‘Southern: A Motive Power Pictorial’
- Book – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
- Magazines – ‘Trains‘ , ‘Classic Trains‘
- Website – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Website – Hawkinsrails.net
- Website – Johnson’s Depot hosted by StateOfFranklin.net
- Website – Multimodalways.org: Norfolk Southern Track Charts
- Website – RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City
- Website – SteamLocomotive.com
- Website – TheDieselShop.us
- Website – VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia
Contact Us
Would enjoy hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, edits, or content that you are willing to share. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar interests in the Southern or Model Railroads.
3Cs Websites
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org
