The Flamingo was a passenger
night train operated by the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.
Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...
.
History
Inaugurated on September 27, 1925, it operated between
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
and
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, with
sleeper service between
Cincinnati Union Terminal
Cincinnati Union Terminal is an intercity train station and museum center in the Queensgate, Cincinnati, Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Commonly abbreviated as CUT, or by its Amtrak station code, CIN, the Railroad terminal, termina ...
and
Atlanta Union Station.It was operated in conjunction with the
Central of Georgia Railway
The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was cons ...
and the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...
.
From Albany to Jacksonville the ''Flamingo'' ran in tandem with the Illinois Central's ''
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...
,'' departing stations with an identical schedule for that final segment. In Jacksonville riders could continue their trips to elsewhere in Florida on various ACL branch lines that served different parts of the state, such as St. Petersburg, Sarasota (via Orlando and Tampa), Ft. Myers and Miami. Travellers to Miami would transfer in Jacksonville to the FEC's ''Havana Special.'' The ''
Southland Southland may refer to:
Places Canada
* Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia
New Zealand
* Southland Region, a region of New Zealand
* Southland County, a former New Zealand county
* Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...
'' operated on similar route from Cincinnati to Albany portion, however, the ''Southland'' ran overnight through Georgia.
An empty oil tanker that had been attached to a north-bound freight train came loose and hit and wrecked the ''Flamingo'' near
Falmouth, Kentucky
Falmouth is a home rule-class city in, and the county seat of, Pendleton County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 2,169 according to the 2010 census. It lies at the confluence of the South and Main forks of the Licking River ...
in 1957. The injured received care at a local hospital.
Service was truncated to Atlanta in 1962; by September 8, 1965 the name was removed from the train. It was discontinued on March 7, 1968.
The dining car, originally built in 1948, was restored and returned to service by the Kentucky-Indiana Rail Advocates in 1998, serving up food on the dinner train from original recipes like seafood gumbo, lamb, plum pudding, and ham with red eye gravy.
Major stations served
*
Cincinnati Union Station
Cincinnati Union Terminal is an intercity train station and museum center in the Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Commonly abbreviated as CUT, or by its Amtrak station code, CIN, the terminal is served by Amtrak's ''Cardinal'' line, ...
*
Covington, Kentucky
Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, ...
*
Winchester, Kentucky
Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 18,368 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located ro ...
*
Corbin, Kentucky
Corbin is a home rule-class city in Whitley, Knox and Laurel counties in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,304. Corbin is on Interstate 75, about halfway between Knoxvill ...
(with connections to and from
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
to the west)
*
Knoxville L&N Station
*
Cartersville, Georgia
Cartersville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,187. Cartersville is the county seat of Bartow Coun ...
*
Marietta Depot
*
Atlanta Union Station
*
Albany Union Station
Union Station, also known as Albany Union Station, is a building in Albany, New York on the corner of Broadway and Steuben Street. Built during 1899–1900, it served originally as the city's railroad station but now houses credit union offices. ...
*
Jacksonville Union Station
Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center is a convention center located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Opened in 1986, it was built incorporating Jacksonville Terminal Complex / Union Station as well as several thousand square feet of newly b ...
References
Further reading
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External sites
December 1965 L&N schedule
{{ACL named trains
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Passenger rail transportation in Ohio
Passenger rail transportation in Kentucky
Passenger rail transportation in Tennessee
Passenger rail transportation in Georgia (U.S. state)
Passenger rail transportation in Florida
Named passenger trains of the United States
Night trains of the United States
Passenger trains of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Passenger trains of the Central of Georgia Railway
Passenger trains of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Railway services introduced in 1925
Railway services discontinued in 1968