Pelican on 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
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- Related Websites: Rails Across the Appalachians | Clinchfield.org
Southern Railway Pelican
The Pelican: A Different Route from New York to New Orleans
Soon after World War II, the Southern Railway began to expand passenger service. One of the new additions was The Pelican, a New York to New Orleans train.
Most of Southern’s passenger trains going to New Orleans ran via Charlotte and Atlanta. The Pelican took a different route through Roanoke, Bristol, Johnson City, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and then Birmingham.
The train included multiple sleepers, a dining car, and coaches. It usually left DC around 12 midnight and arrived New Orleans 36 to 37 hours later.
The last run of the Pelican was in 1970.
Pelican Stats
- Route: New York to New Orleans
- Cities: New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Bristol, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Birmingham, Meridian, and New Orleans
- Numbers: 41 southbound & 42 northbound
- Years in Service: ? (mid-to-late 1940s) to 1970
- Partner Railroads: Pennsylvania (NYC to DC), N&W (Lynchburg to Bristol)
- Streamlined: Never fully streamlined
- Dieselized: Late 1940s (EMD Es and Fs)
- Distance: 1339 miles
- Scheduled Time: 37 hours (1952)
- Average Speed: 36 MPH (1952)
- Equipment: Coach, Sleeper, and Diner in variation throughout its history. In 1952m the Pelican’s consist included – Diner: Roanoke to Birmingham. Sleepers: 1 NYC to NO, 1 NYC to Shreveport, 1 NYC to Knoxville, 1 NYC to Bristol, 1 DC to NO, 1 DC to Roanoke (1952)
Memories of the Pelican by Ron Flanary
Memories: “On April 20, 1969, the Southern Railway porter assigned to 10-6 Pullman “Rapidan River” is in place to assist passengers boarding at Bristol, Virginia. This is train 42, the “Pelican,” and his car originated in Bristol for the overnight run to NYC.
He was listening on his AM transistor radio to the Atlanta Braves playing the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. Moments later the porter’s first patrons would show up and he would be forced to give up on the game and go to work. At 4 PM sharp, the conductor would yell “Board!” and N&W 42 would be off to Roanoke and points north.
The first passenger trains called here before the Civil War, but the last scheduled train–a single GP9, baggage and heavyweight coach–rolled north on April 30, 1971. Hope springs eternal for a return of passenger rail to Bristol one day, but I’m not saving my money to buy a ticket.”
Photo and Narrative by Ron Flanary
Pelican Timetable 1952
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.
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
