The ''Dixie Flagler'' was a

streamlined Streamlines, streaklines and pathlines are field lines in a fluid flow. They differ only when the flow changes with time, that is, when the flow is not steady flow, steady. Considering a velocity vector field in three-dimensional space in the f ...

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

operated by the

Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a p ...

(FEC) between

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. It began in 1939 as the ''Henry M. Flagler'', a regional service between Miami and

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

; the FEC renamed it and extended it to Chicago a year later. It was one of the few Chicago to Florida trains that passed through Atlanta. As an overnight streamliner it was part of the every-third-day pool shared by the '' City of Miami'' and ''

South Wind The south wind is the wind that originates from the south and blows north. South Wind may also refer to: * ''South Wind'' (film), 2018 Serbian film * ''South Wind'' (TV series), 2020 Serbian TV series * , 2021 Serbian film * , 2022 Serbian TV s ...

''. It was renamed ''Dixieland'' in 1954 and discontinued altogether in 1957.

History

The train began as the ''Henry M. Flagler'', a daily streamliner between Jacksonville and Miami, named for industrialist

Henry Flagler Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...

. This service began on December 3, 1939, using a set of equipment built by the

Budd Company The Budd Company was a 20th-century metal fabricator, a major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars, airframes, missile and space vehicles, and various defense produ ...

. With the introduction of two new overnight all-coach streamliners on cooperating railroads, the ''Henry M. Flagler'' equipment was placed in service on a rotating once every three days overnight schedule between Chicago and Miami as the ''Dixie Flagler'' beginning December 17, 1940. Together with its counterparts the ''

'' and '' City of Miami'', the trains offered daily service between Chicago and the east coast of Florida. Originally intended as a winter-season-only service, the public response was strong enough that the trains were placed into permanent year-round service by the summer of 1941. The FEC dropped the ''Dixie Flagler'' name in 1954 in favor of ''Dixieland''; it discontinued the service altogether in 1957. However, the '' Dixie Flyer,'' operating over the same route, with a night departure from Chicago, endured until 1965, and carried on by 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 ...

and the

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lin ...

until 1969.

Route

As a daytime streamliner, the ''Henry M. Flagler'' operated entirely over the Florida East Coast Railway, however, this particular train ended in 1940. To travel from Chicago to Florida, the ''Dixie Flagler'' used six separate railroads. The train left Chicago's Dearborn Station on the

Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Illinois, Chicago to southern Illinois, St. Louis, Missouri, St. Louis, and Evansville, Indiana, Evansville. Founded in 1877, it grew aggressively and staye ...

(C&EI). Between

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

, and

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, it used 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 ...

(L&N). From Nashville south to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

, via Chattanooga, TN, it used the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC), a subsidiary of the L&N. From Atlanta southeast to

Waycross, Georgia Waycross is the county seat of and only incorporated city in Ware County in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 13,942 in the 2020 census. Waycross gets its name from the city's location at key railroad junctions; lines from six di ...

, it travelled over the Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad (AB&C), a subsidiary of the

(ACL). At Waycross it joined the ACL itself, and stayed on it until reaching Jacksonville, the northern terminus of the FEC. From there, the train proceeded over the FEC to Miami. At Jacksonville it had sections that split and joined with the ACL's '' West Coast Champion'' and went to Sarasota via Orlando and Tampa, and St. Petersburg via Gainesville.Atlantic Coast Line timetable, June 12, 1955, Tables B and F

Major stops

*Chicago ( Dearborn Station) *St. Louis (

) he Chicago and St. Louis branches converged in Evansville*Terre Haute (

) *Evansville ( L&N station) *Nashville (

) *Chattanooga (

) *Atlanta (

) *Jacksonville (

) *Daytona Beach *West Palm Beach *Fort Lauderdale *Miami ( FEC station) Separate connecting Atlantic Coast Line branches from Jacksonville served Gainesville, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Ft. Myers.

Equipment

The

delivered the original equipment set for the ''Henry M. Flagler'' in November 1939. The consist matched three sets delivered for the new ''

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

''. Each equipment set consisted of a baggage-dormitory-coach, four coaches, a

dining car A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a passenger railroad car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. These cars provide the highest level of service of any rai ...

, and a tavern-lounge-

observation car An observation car/carriage/coach (in US English, often abbreviated to simply observation or obs) is a type of railroad Passenger car (rail), passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the rearmost carriage, with windows or a plat ...

. Originally a coach-only train, the ''Dixie Flagler'' later received

sleeping car The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car (rail), passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the main American innovator and owner of sl ...

s. In 1950 the train departed Chicago with six sleeping cars, five for Miami and one for Jacksonville. These cars had the following configuration: * 3 compartments, 1 double bedroom, buffet-lounge * 6 sections, 6 double bedrooms * 8 sections, 2 compartments, 1 drawing room * 12 roomettes, 2 single bedrooms, 3 double bedrooms * 6 compartments, 3 double bedrooms * 8 sections, 2 compartments, 1 double bedroom The train carried a full dining car for the entire trip: a C&EI dining car operated between Chicago and Jacksonville, after which an FEC dining car replaced it. The FEC's tavern-lounge-observation car made the entire trip.

References

External links

1941 timetable at Streamliner Schedules
{{NC named trains Named passenger trains of the United States Night trains of the United States Passenger rail transportation in Florida Passenger rail transportation in Georgia (U.S. state) Passenger rail transportation in Illinois Passenger rail transportation in Indiana Passenger rail transportation in Missouri Passenger rail transportation in Tennessee Passenger trains of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad Passenger trains of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Passenger trains of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway Passenger trains of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Passenger trains of the Florida East Coast Railway Railway services introduced in 1939 Railway services discontinued in 1957