# Silver Meteor Train 75th anniversity 2/2/2014



## Chestley (Feb 2, 2014)

The Silver Meteor train was launched 75 years ago today at the 1939 New York Worlds Fair. My father was one of the 30 people who won the national contest to name the train. Does anyone have the complete list of 30 winners. I only have 8 names. Thank you. My name is Chestley Talley, Lacrosse, VA


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## VentureForth (Feb 3, 2014)

Fascinating!


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## FriskyFL (Feb 3, 2014)

Mazel tov! My hometown train.


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2014)

It would be interesting if someone could contrast the train of 75 years ago, to today's Amtrak train of the same name.


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## OlympianHiawatha (Feb 3, 2014)

Here's some interesting info including Timetable for the 1941 _*Silver Meteor*_; if you paw around on the site you can get 1958 and 1971 as well:

http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track5/silvermeteor194106.html


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## Chestley (Feb 4, 2014)

Thanks everyone for your posts. - Chestley Talley


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## xyzzy (Feb 4, 2014)

Note that the train's name has survived, but its routing has changed. The train originally operated on the Seaboard Air Line south of Richmond, passing through Raleigh and Columbia. Today's train uses the former Atlantic Coast Line between Richmond and central Florida. And, of course, the train no longer has a Tampa/StPete section.


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## railiner (Feb 6, 2014)

Brings back memories of taking my grandfather to Penn Station back in the mid-fifties to board a Seaboard train (I am guessing, because I recall it being stainless steel, the ACL trains were painted, I believe) to Miami for the winter. It could have been the Silver Meteor or something else leaving a little earlier in the day......

What a wonderful experience....the steam rising up between the cars and the platform....the GG-1 headlite going to bright and the bell blonging, as the train glided out into the North River tunnel......


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## xyzzy (Feb 7, 2014)

The ACL had many unpainted stainless-steel cars. That said, the ACL was a larger railroad than the SAL and probably had more painted cars in use than the SAL did at that time.


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## SarahZ (Feb 7, 2014)

I'm still trying to track down the winners' names, but I found this nifty article while doing so:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fbotAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hosFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1296%2C384588


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## SarahZ (Feb 7, 2014)

The New York Public Library might have microfilm or microfiche of the newspapers and fliers printed about and during the 1939 World's Fair. In addition to that, one of the reference librarians might have additional ideas for helping you find the names. If the NYPL doesn't have the materials, they can obtain copies (or originals) through InterLibrary Loan and/or fax.


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## Bill Haithcoat (Feb 17, 2014)

It will be noted that the Silver Meteor and some other earlier streamliners were coach only at first,no pullmans

I think part of the reasoning on this is that any bed in the oldest heavyweight car was superior to the newest seat in a streamliner Thus streamlined pullmans were not desired, or so thought some railroads.

That thinking proved to be wrong and many trains such as the Silver Meteor received streamlined sleepers later. Some such trains recieived heavyweight sleepers until the new cars could be built most around 1949


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## George Harris (Feb 17, 2014)

railiner said:


> Brings back memories of taking my grandfather to Penn Station back in the mid-fifties to board a Seaboard train (I am guessing, because I recall it being stainless steel, the ACL trains were painted, I believe) to Miami for the winter. It could have been the Silver Meteor or something else leaving a little earlier in the day......
> 
> What a wonderful experience....the steam rising up between the cars and the platform....the GG-1 headlite going to bright and the bell blonging, as the train glided out into the North River tunnel......


The "something a little earlier in the day" was most likely the Silver Star. Both were truly great trains, and operated by the railroad that was truly the Avis of the Florida service. (Remember the Avis rent a car slogan; "We're number two. We try harder.")


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## railiner (Feb 22, 2014)

George Harris said:


> railiner said:
> 
> 
> > Brings back memories of taking my grandfather to Penn Station back in the mid-fifties to board a Seaboard train (I am guessing, because I recall it being stainless steel, the ACL trains were painted, I believe) to Miami for the winter. It could have been the Silver Meteor or something else leaving a little earlier in the day......
> ...


Whether "The Standard Railroad of the South", as SAL called itself, was secondary to the ACL, is debatable....

The SAL "Orange Blossom Special" was the 'fairest train' on that route, as the song claims, IMHO...

The SAL's glass topped Pullman Sleeper Lounge cars were nicer than anything the ACL had, again, IMHO...

and when the FEC went on that strike in 1963, ACL passenger's were accommodated by the SAL to gain entry to Florida's 'Gold Coast' destinations....


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## chestley (Feb 23, 2014)

SharaZ

Thank you. I will follow up on your leads. This is part of a bigger story that I am researching. If you like you can email me for the details. [email protected]


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## xyzzy (Feb 23, 2014)

The SAL went bankrupt in 1930, but the ACL had more money and made it through the Great Depression. The ACL owned the L&N and the Georgia/A&WP/WofA, which gave it much more scale than the SAL. Yes the SAL had some fine passenger trains. It was always the weaker competitor, nevertheless. Nor did the SAL have the level of profitability that the Southern had. Merging the SAL into the ACL was formally proposed in 1958 and had been floated prior to that. It took 9 years for the deal to happen, in part because Southern kept trying to get concessions.


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