IC 4025 with The City of Miami, Champaign, IL in April 1965. Click to enlarge.
(Photo by Roger Puta, railfan 44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
CITY OF MIAMI
The City of Miami was a seven-car coach streamliner inaugurated by the Illinois Central Railroad on December 18, 1940. Its route was from Chicago to Miami a total distance of 1,493 miles (2,403 km).
The Central of Georgia's City of Miami at Kankakee, Illinois. The train is led by EMD E8 No. 811, August 1964. Click to enlarge. (Lawrence and David Barera, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
The Illinois Central's City of Miami at Kankakee, Illinois. The train is led by EMD E8 No. 4024, August 1964. Click to enlarge. (Lawrence and David Barera, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
History
The City of Miami was one of three new all-coach streamliners which, together, provided daily service between Chicago and Florida. The other two streamliners were the South Wind and the Dixie Flagler, each of which followed a different route. As with the other routes it was managed by a consortium of train companies, as different engines switched as the coaches and sleepers traveled over different companies' tracks.
The City of Miami was powered by a single EMD E6A 2,000-horsepower (1,500 kW) diesel passenger cab unit. The entire train was painted in an Orange and Palm Green scheme with Scarlet stripes and lettering. Up to and including this new train the Illinois Central seemed to have difficulty deciding on a paint scheme for their streamlined trains. The Green Diamond, Illini, Miss Lou, and now the City of Miami were all painted in their own distinct paint schemes.
Illinois Central was the key player in the City's long run from 1940 to 1971. Immaculately maintained equipment and perfectly matched consists in IC's familiar "Autumn Sunset" chocolate, orange, and yellow were traditional hallmarks of the ever popular Florida streamliner. Indeed, the City was a beautiful sight racing through the countryside between Lake Michigan and Biscayne Bay. During the peak winter season long trains carried several lounges and diners in addition to a sleeper lounge and tavern lounge observation on the rear. Domes were added in 1959. Courier Nurses were replaced by Passenger Service Representatives in later years, but a high standard of service was maintained right up to May 1, 1971, when Amtrak took over and dropped the City of Miami and reinstated the South Wind on the Chicago-Florida route. That year, Amtrak initiated the Floridian on a route largely similar to that of the South Wind.
An Illinois Central ticket envelope depicting their five streamliners and a system map. Click on the image to download a 507kb PDF file. (Illinois Central via StreamlinerMemories.info.)
Route map of the City of Miami. Click to enlarge.
(Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, wikipedia.com)
Route
The City of Miami ran from Chicago to Miami by way of Champaign, Centralia, Fulton, Jackson, Birmingham, Columbus, Waycross, and Jacksonville. Between Chicago and Birmingham the streamliner scorched IC rails. Leaving Birmingham the train traversed the Central of Georgia Railway to Albany, Georgia. From Albany to Jacksonville the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (Seaboard Coast Line Railroad from July 1967) was used. The Florida East Coast Railroad operated the train from Jacksonville to Miami until the FEC strike of 1963. By 1955 the West Coast Champion began hauling thru-cars for the City of Miami and South Wind streamliners to and from Chicago on its Jacksonville-Tampa/Sarasota leg via Orlando and its Jacksonville-St. Petersburg section via Gainesville and Ocala. After the 1963 FEC strike the City of Miami and all ACL Miami-bound trains were rerouted through Orlando via ACL to Auburndale where they crossed over to SAL (SCL) rails to reach West Palm Beach and Miami. The SCL continued a section through Gainesville to St. Petersburg and a Sarasota section through Tampa. The St. Petersburg and Miami sections were split and joined at Jacksonville until Amtrak arrived on May 1, 1971.
The only engine change to occur on this route was at Jacksonville where the IC E6A 4000 was exchanged for the FEC's EMC E3 1001 to Miami. The City of Miami was the only one of the three Chicago to Miami lightweight streamlined trains to operate with diesel power over the entire route from the beginning. The City of Miami route was 1,493 miles (2,403 km) and the train made 25 stops en route, only one of which, the Jacksonville stop, was for an engine change. In spite of the number of stops the diesel proved more than capable of maintaining a 50 mph (80 km/h) average. The City of Miami consist was the only one of the three Chicago – Miami lightweight streamlined trains to operate with cars built by Pullman Standard and the only one of the three trains to be diesel powered end terminal to end terminal.
Timetable
City - Departure time
Chicago, Illinois (Central Station) (Illinois Central) (C.T.) 8:40 a.m.
Chicago, Illinois (53rd Street) 8:47 a.m.
Chicago, Illinois (63rd Street) 8:50 a.m.
Kankakee, Illinois 9:37 a.m.
Champaign–Urbana, Illinois 10:45 a.m.
Mattoon, Illinois 11:22 a.m.
Effingham, Illinois 11:47 a.m.
Centralia, Illinois 12:45 p.m.
Carbondale, Illinois 1:35 p.m.
North Cairo, Illinois 2:45 p.m.
Fulton, Kentucky 3:38 p.m.
Jackson, Tennessee 4:55 p.m.
Corinth, Mississippi 6:03 p.m.
Haleyville, Alabama 7:28 p.m.
Jasper, Alabama 8:50 p.m.
Birmingham, Alabama (Central of Georgia) 10:17 p.m.
Sylacauga, Alabama 11:39 p.m.
Opelika, Alabama 1:06 a.m.
Columbus, Georgia 1:43 a.m.
Albany, Georgia (Atlantic Coast Line) 3:40 a.m.
Waycross, Georgia (E.T.) 7:00 a.m.
Jacksonville, Florida (Florida East Coast) 8:30 a.m.
St. Augustine, Florida 9:15 a.m.
Bunnell, Florida 9:38 a.m.
Daytona Beach, Florida 10:02 a.m.
New Smyrna Beach, Florida 10:25 a.m.
Titusville, Florida 10:54 a.m.
Cocoa-Rockledge, Florida 11:11 a.m.
Melbourne, Florida 11:30 a.m.
Vero Beach, Florida 12:02 p.m.
Fort Pierce, Florida 12:21 p.m.
Stuart, Florida 12:41 p.m.
Hobe Sound, Florida 12:54 p.m.
West Palm Beach, Florida 1:21 p.m.
Lake Worth, Florida 1:33 p.m.
Delray Beach, Florida 1:45 p.m.
Boca Raton, Florida 1:54 p.m.
Pompano, Florida 2:01 p.m.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 2:12 p.m.
Hollywood, Florida 2:24 p.m.
Miami, Florida 2:50 p.m.
(Source: Official Guide of the Railways, June 1941)
A City of Miami Gallery
Champaign, IL in April 1965:
CB&Q 304 Pullman Dome. It ran on the North Coast Limited in the summer and City of Miami in the winter. And yes, it was repainted twice a year! Click to enlarge. (Photo by Roger Puta, railfan 44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
A City of Miami postcard depicting the new IC livery. Click to enlarge. (Curt Teich, Public Domain, W. Lenheim Collection)
Postcard depiction of the "City of Miami" train of the Illinois Central Railroad showing the original color scheme. Click to enlarge. (Dade County Newssalers, Miami., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
The end of The City of Miami, Champaign, IL in April 1965. This is car 3320, a rebuilt heavy-weight car with 6-wheel trucks. Click to enlarge. (Photo by Roger Puta, railfan 44, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Postcard photo of the City of Miami's Palm Garden diner. Click to enlarge. (Curt Teich, Chicago, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Postcard photo of a City of Miami coach car interior. Click to enlarge. (Curt Teich, Chicago, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Postcard photo of the observation area of the City of Miami's Bamboo Grove combination lounge-observation car, facing rear. Click to enlarge. (Curt Teich, Chicago, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Postcard photo of the Bamboo Grove combination lounge and observation car of the Illinois Central Railroad's City of Miami, facing front. Click to enlarge. (Curt Teich, Chicago, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Postcard photo of the observation car of The City of Miami. The card was meant for travel agents and those selling train tickets in an effort to encourage them to book clients on the train. Click to enlarge. (Illinois Central Railroad, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Postcard photo of the observation car of Illinois Central's City of Miami somewhere in Alabama. Click to enlarge. (Illinois Central Railroad, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Postcard photo of Illinois Central's City of Miami traveling through Alabama. Click to enlarge. (Illinois Central Railroad, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Illinois Central Train 53 the City of Miami led by E-unit 4040 approaching AX Tower north of Manteno, IL on July 22, 1962. Click to enlarge. (Roger Puta via Marty Bernard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Equipment
At the outset a single Illinois Central EMD E6 pulled the train for the entire route. Pullman built the initial equipment set of the City of Miami; Budd manufactured the other two sets. The original seven-car set included the following:
Bougainvillea baggage-dormitory
Camellia coach with nurse's station
Japonica coach
Hibiscus coach
Poinsettia coach
Palm Garden dining car
Beginning April 23, 1949 the City of Miami added sleeping cars to its consist. These cars were carried forward of the coaches in the City of Miami consist maintaining quick access for coach passengers to the tavern-observation-lounge car on the rear. By 1958 the Jim Crow) coach had been removed from the consist.
Overview
Service type: Inter-city rail
Status: Discontinued
Locale: Midwestern United States/Southeastern United States
First service: December 18, 1940
Last service: April 30, 1971
Former operators: Illinois Central Railroad, Central of Georgia, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (1940–1967), Seaboard Coast Line (1967–1971), Florida East Coast (1940–1963)
Route Termini: Chicago, Illinois / Miami, Florida
Stops: 39
Distance traveled: 1,494 miles (2,404 km) (1941); 1,544 miles (2,485 km) (1971)
Average journey time Northbound: 31 hrs 00 min; Southbound: 32 hrs 25 min
Service frequency: Every third day (1940–1957); Every other day (1957–1971)
Train numbers: Northbound: 52, Southbound: 53
On-board services
Seating arrangements: Reserved coach
Sleeping arrangements: Roomettes and double bedrooms
Catering facilities: Diner-Counter-Lounge
Entertainment facilities: Club-Lounge
Baggage facilities: Checked
Technical
Rolling stock: EMD E-unit locomotives, Streamlined passenger cars by Pullman Standard
Track gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Operating speed: 51.2 mph (82 km/h) average (1941); 45.6 mph (73 km/h) average (1971)