Pan-American (train)

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Pan-American
Postcard photo of the heavyweight train
Overview
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleMidwestern United States/southeastern United States
First serviceDecember 5, 1921
Last serviceApril 30, 1971
Former operator(s)Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Route
TerminiCincinnati, Ohio
New Orleans, Louisiana
Distance travelled922 miles (1,484 km)
Average journey timeSouthbound: 23 hrs 10 min; northbound: 23 hrs 15 min
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)Southbound: 99, northbound: 98
On-board services
Seating arrangementsReclining seat coaches
Sleeping arrangementsRoomettes, double bedrooms
Catering facilitiesDining car; lounge car

The Pan-American was a

seaports on the Gulf of Mexico
. The Pan-American was one of many trains discontinued when Amtrak began operations in 1971.

History

The L&N introduced the Pan-American on December 5, 1921.

seaports on the Gulf of Mexico.[3]: 108  It covered the 921 miles (1,482 km) from Cincinnati to New Orleans in 26 hours, soon shortened to exactly 24 hours.[4]: 426 [5]
: 129 

The train proved popular with the traveling public, and in 1925 was re-equipped as an "All-Pullman" (no coaches) train.[6]: 147  Its popularity contributed to businesses named after it; the Pan-American Lunch Room operated in Nashville, Tennessee in the 1920s.[7] The economic pressures of the Great Depression forced the Pan-American to start carrying coaches again in 1933.

Like many L&N trains, the Pan-American experienced a surge in ridership during

Southern Railway's Piedmont Limited.[9]
: 538 

In 1953 the Pan-American was one of several L&N trains to receive new lightweight

baggage car, coach, and dining car, with a sleeper for New Orleans added in Louisville. Amtrak did not retain service over the L&N route, and the Pan-American ended on April 30, 1971.[3]
: 111 

Cultural influence

Postcard of the Pan-American passing the WSM transmitter in Nashville

In the words of Kincaid Herr, official historian of the L&N, the Pan-American "came to be the symbol of the L&N's passenger service."

WSM Radio's nightly broadcast of the passing train's whistle. Some Pan-American passengers were lucky enough to sit in comfortable lounge chairs and hear the sound of their own train's whistle from a wood-cabinet table radio tuned to WSM in the observation car. The broadcasts began on August 15, 1933.[2]: 26 [11]
: 259 

The Pan-American inspired several songs:

"Pan-American Blues" was one of two railroad songs recorded by DeFord Bailey (the other being "Dixie Flyer Blues", so named for another L&N train. Bailey saw the Pan-American frequently at Nashville's Union Station in the 1920s, but the inspiration for name came from one of his foster sisters, who noted that "it was the fastest around." Bailey, with his harmonica, imitated the sound of the Pan-American's whistle and it quickly became one of his most-requested performances at the Grand Ole Opry and elsewhere.[13]: 78–80 

References

  1. OCLC 209631579
    .
  2. ^
    OCLC 759916711
    .
  3. ^
    OCLC 768619768
    .
  4. OCLC 248817483
    .
  5. ^
    OCLC 609716000
    .
  6. OCLC 46648011
    .
  7. user-generated source
    ]
  8. ^ a b "The L&N's Pan American". American-Rails.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  9. OCLC 6340864
    .
  10. The Historic Railpark and Train Museum. Archived from the original
    on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  11. ^
    OCLC 44128340
    .
  12. OCLC 475547092
    .
  13. OCLC 22710812
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Pan-American.
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