# What rail line or train?



## FLtoNC (Jun 21, 2007)

In October 1967 our 8th grade class took a field trip from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Washington D.C.

my question is, what train would I have been riding?

My interest in train travel has sparked again because now we have been traveling from N.C. to NYP to

see our grandchild. I'm getting ready to go again July 6th from RMT to NYP.

Thank you for all the information I have been getting from this forum on our AMTRAK trips.


----------



## George Harris (Jun 21, 2007)

In 1967, it would have been Seaboard Coast Line, which was the merged Seaboard Air Line and Atlantic Coast Line railroads as far north as Richmond, and then the RF&P (Richmond Fredericksburg and Patomac from there in to DC, although to be exact, the part form the south bank of the Patomac River ot Viriginia Tower would have been operated on the tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the last mile or so in, including the tunnel just east of the Capital Building would have been on the track of the Washington Terminal Company.

The exact routing south of Richmond would have depended upon which train you were on. All passenger trains north out of Ft. Lauderdale at that time would have been on the ex SAL line at least as far as Auburndale. If you happened to be on one of the formere ACL trains, such as the Champion, you would have turned rigtht there and goen up through Orlando, then Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston, Florence, Rocky Mount, Petersburg, Richmond. If you happened to be on one of the ex SAL trains such as the Silver Meteor or Silver Star, then you would have continued north of Auburndale through Ocala, then into Jacksonville, Savannah, Columbia, Raleigh, Petersburg, Richmond.

In 1967, if on the SAL side, you may have been on the former SAL track between Jacksonville and Savannah, or the former SAL. The SAL line which was all single and closer to the coast with longer bridges was abandoned and all traffic moved to the slightly more inland ACL line, but I do not know when that occurred. Also, at some point shortly after the merger, a connection between the SAL and ACL was built on the south side of Petersburg VA and after that all trains were on the ex ACL line from that point north into Richmond. This connection was in place by the mid-70's, but not sure about 1967, as IIRC that was the year the merger occurred.

Why not go ahead and register here? The benefits are tremendous! Let's see they are . . . , well, it is nice to simply be here.


----------



## FLtoNC (Jun 21, 2007)

Thank you George Harris, that was just the info I needed... now I remember we did not got into Washington DC on the train but stopped somewhere south, saw Mount Vernon first, then took buses to the DC.

And I think I will join!


----------



## AlanB (Jun 21, 2007)

George Harris said:


> Why not go ahead and register here? The benefits are tremendous! Let's see they are . . . , well, it is nice to simply be here.


Actually there are a few small and not necessarily exciting benefits to joining. One, you can send private messages to other members. Two, you can email members who have choosen to allow you to email them, and the board still hides the email addresses from the spammers. Three, and perhaps most important, the board remember what posts you have read and which ones you haven't. Four, the time stamps on posts are adjusted for your time zone.


----------



## AlanB (Jun 21, 2007)

FLtoNC said:


> And I think I will join!


Welcome aboard FLtoNC.


----------



## George Harris (Jun 22, 2007)

I thought the admins would give a better answer for the advantages that I could, so that is the reason for the . . .

You probably got off the train at Alexandria VA as that would be the logical station for Alexandria. Mount Vernon. Really the brain did say Mount Vernon, now if I just control the fingers.

George


----------



## Bill Haithcoat (Jun 22, 2007)

FLtoNC said:


> In October 1967 our 8th grade class took a field trip from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Washington D.C.my question is, what train would I have been riding?
> 
> My interest in train travel has sparked again because now we have been traveling from N.C. to NYP to
> 
> ...



Remembering what time of day you traveled could help those of us with old timetables search for you. I don't mean the exact minute, of course, but things like overnight or long day trip, or did you arrvie Alexandria 5 a.m.ish, noon-ish, afternoon-ish etc.

Also, did you return on the train? Any thoughts about what time of day?

Also, like what time of year id you travel? Some lines had more trains in the winter season(Dec. 16-through bn April 24, approx) than other times of the year.


----------



## Guest (Jun 22, 2007)

Bill Haithcoat said:


> Remembering what time of day you traveled could help those of us with old timetables search for you. I don't mean the exact minute, of course, but things like overnight or long day trip, or did you arrvie Alexandria 5 a.m.ish, noon-ish, afternoon-ish etc.
> Also, did you return on the train? Any thoughts about what time of day?
> 
> Also, like what time of year id you travel? Some lines had more trains in the winter season(Dec. 16-through bn April 24, approx) than other times of the year.



I know we slept through North Carolina! So I think we arrived early morning in Virginia. It was definitely the early part of October. and I remember the cost was $108.00 for the field trip which probably included the overnight stays in the hotels as well as the train ride. Yes we returned by train also... because it was night when they had to stop the train for me (asthma attack or hyperventilating) and a doctor came on board... I was taken back to the "boys car" for the rest of the trip... probably more teachers there. haha

and we arrived back in Fort Lauderdale in the morning.


----------



## Bill Haithcoat (Jun 22, 2007)

Guest said:


> Bill Haithcoat said:
> 
> 
> > Remembering what time of day you traveled could help those of us with old timetables search for you. I don't mean the exact minute, of course, but things like overnight or long day trip, or did you arrvie Alexandria 5 a.m.ish, noon-ish, afternoon-ish etc.
> ...



Sorry for not noticing in your opening that the trip was in October. Meanwhile, it will be Monday before I can respond, so perhaps George Harris or somebody else will reply first. But I will look it up, also.

I can't keep too many Official Guides at the office!! (but you can be sure I do keep a current Amtrak timetable at work at all times!!)

t


----------



## Bill Haithcoat (Jun 25, 2007)

July 1, 1967 was the closest SCL timetable I coudl find.

It showed:

Silver Star, lv FTL 2.20 p.m. ar Alex 10,33 a.m.

Silver Meteor lv FTL 9.42 am. ar. alex 5.34 a,m.

East Coast Champion lv. ftl 9.10 a.m. ar alex 5.49 a.m

Palmland lv ft l 10. 15 pm. ar alex second morning 2.36 a.m

Sunland lv ftl 10.45 a.m. ar alex 1.55 p.m. second day

Return

Silver Star lv alex 2.07 p.m. ar ftl 9.50 a.m.

Silver Meteor lv alex 7.22 p.m. ar ftl 3.45 p.m..

East Coast Champion lv alex 7.56 p.m. ar ftl 4.53 p.m.

Palmland lv alex 12.33 a.m. ar ftl second morning 3.35 a.m.

Sunland lv alex 3.38 p.m. ar. ftl next inght at 6.10 p.m.

Any more specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I will keep the timetable around the office for a few more days before taking it back home. But keep in mind I will be out of thi office Wednesday-thursday-friday of this week. I will be here through the end of day Tuesday June 26.

Note also that not that many longer distance passengers would have ridden the Palmland or the Sunland--they were quite slow and made many stops, you probably were not on them. Unless you had been boarding or detraining at smaller (and/ or less busy or culturally significant }stations .

Some railfans would have deliberately chosen to ride the non-streamlined slower trains for their own enjoyment: there is a guy on this forum called Palmland" and he is all in favour of that. But your high school teachers probably would not have bene impressed with the joys of a slower less direct timing, while escorting a bunch of screaming, crazy high-schoolers at that.

There is this whole thing about school trips to Washington. My sister's high school art class took a simiilar trip from Chattanooga to WAS on Southern Railroads old Pelican, early 50's..


----------



## FLtoNC (Jun 25, 2007)

Thank you so much for that detailed reply... I think it must have been the Silver Star...

which is ironic... since next Friday I will be boarding the Silver Star for NYP! I knew I liked

that train for a reason. haha


----------



## George Harris (Jun 25, 2007)

Bill Haithcoat said:


> There is this whole thing about school trips to Washington. My sister's high school art class took a simiilar trip from Chattanooga to WAS on Southern Railroads old Pelican, early 50's..


This would be early 60's, but on one occasion about 30 middle schoolers got on the Tennessean at 4:00 am to go to Washington. Of course they were all wide awake and wired up, unlike the people on the train that had gotten on at Memphis - and various points east thereof. At that point Southern pride still had either a passenger agent or trainmaster out there (4:00 am, remember) to help be sure all were on allright, and as we pulled into Knoxville (still on time!) the porter made about a five minute announcement that had most of them laughing. I only remember he had "home of JFG coffee" in it, and I went by him, he said I've got to give them a good trip to remember.


----------

