Piedmont Limited on the Southern Railway
- Southern Home Page
- History | Maps | Locomotives
- Predecessors | SCC&RR | LC&C | ET&V | ET&G | V&T | ETV&G | VT&G Air Line | R&D | M&C | CNO&TP | V&K | BC&ING | SA&O | V&SW | BE&NC | HRR
- 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 Piedmont Limited
The Piedmont Limited was one of Southern’s earliest passenger trains, debuting in 1899. While initially ‘the crack’ (most important) passenger train on the Southern, the Crescent and Southerner would bypass it in the 1900s.
Compared to the Crescent, the Piedmont Limited operated about 10 hours later allowing it to traverse the segment from Lynchburg to Atlanta during the daylight hours.
Piedmont Limited Photos
1962 Charlotte NC
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.
Piedmont Limited Timetable (1952)
Here’s the schedule for the Piedmont Limited in 1952, plus a comparison with its related New York to New Orleans trains.
Piedmont Limited Stats
- Route: New York to New Orleans
- Cities: New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Greensboro, Charlotte, Greenville, Atlanta, Montgomery, Mobile, Biloxi, New Orleans
- Numbers: 33 southbound & 34 northbound
- Years in Service: 1899 to 1967
- Partner Railroads: Atlanta & West Point, Louisville & Nashville, Pennsylvania
- Dieselized: Mid-to-late 1940s (EMD Es and Fs)
- Streamlined: Never fully streamlined
- Distance: 1357 miles
- Scheduled Time: 30 hours 50 minutes (1952)
- Average Speed: 44 MPH (1952)
- Equipment: Coach, Sleeper, Diner, and Lounge in variation throughout its history. Diner: Monroe VA southward. Sleepers: 2 NYC to NO, 1 NYC to Mobile, 1 NYC to Charlotte, 1 DC to NO, 1 ATL to NO, 1 Salisbury to NYC, 1 Birmingham to NYC (1952)
- Predecessor: None
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
