Can You Hum The Tune, 'Riding on the City of New Orleans?'

[Ocklawaha]

If you've ever heard the words and wondered what train mesmerized a generation, what would you say if the original 'City of New Orleans' suddenly showed up at your local railroad terminal?  That's what just happened in the Big Easy. Thanks to shortline holding company 'Iowa Pacific,' 'The City of New Orleans' was found at the Terminal in it's classic 1960's era colors.

Jaxson's who love history should know that the 'City' had a identical twin sister called 'The City of Miami.' Both trains operated from Chicago to a point just north of Memphis where our own 'City of Miami' split off to Birmingham - Columbus - Albany - Jacksonville - Daytona Beach and Miami. Wonder what it looked like? Check out the photos.

There is a lesson in this for the City, FDOT and JTA, private rail car's known as PV's (Private Varnish, a throwback term to the days of the Wild Wild West and beautiful wooden palace cars polished to a mirror finish) are big business for any rail terminal. We should NOT create a rail side to the so-called JRTC (Jacksonville Terminal) without a PV track.

Yes, I know the original 'City' trains could be 22 cars long, it's still nice to see magic carpet made of steel - revisited. These trains were as much a part of the (every other day)  scene in Jacksonville then they were in New Orleans, celebrate our railroad heritage. ENJOY:

While not part of the Illinois Central this former Milwaukee Road full length dome is a sight to see.

[Wacca Pilatka]

One of my favorites at karaoke.

[HisBuffPVB]

I remember as a child riding the sleeper from Atlanta to Tampa, sleeping in an upper while my mother and baby sister were in the lower. How nice the sleeping car porter was! I remember riding the train from Jacksonville to Chicago to college, sitting up all night and most of the next day, but by then the cars were getting older and were not being maintained. Riding from Atlanta to DC and to NYC on the school boy patrol trip with the black patrol children sitting in another car, that we had to go through to get to the dining room, but they did not sit with us. Waking up in DC to see the Shriners monument in Alexandria waiting for a change from a diesel to an electric engine to go into DC. And many years later, spending a lot of time on great AM Trak first class trains between DC and NYC. Trains may never come back, but great memories. The Jacksonville and Richmond train stations look a good bit alike and were designed by the same person, I think. But the DC station, which has so many uses now, was wonderful. As a 12 year old to walk through it and see the Capitol for the first time, a great experience.