Piedmont Limited

The Piedmont Limited was a named passenger train operated by the Southern Railway in the southern United States. For most of its life it was a New York—New Orleans train, operating over the same route as the more famous Crescent Limited. The Southern Railway introduced the train on March 12, 1899, and it was known as the crack train of the route until the introduction of the Crescent in 1925.[1][2] The Southern Railway discontinued the Piedmont Limited in 1976.[3]

Not to be confused with Amtrak Piedmont Service.
Piedmont Limited
EMD FP7s leading the Piedmont Limited in 1974.
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleSoutheastern United States
First serviceMarch 12, 1899
Last service1976
Former operator(s)Southern Railway
Route
StartNew York, New York
EndNew Orleans, Louisiana
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)33 (southbound), 34 (northbound)
On-board services
Seating arrangementsReclining seat coaches
Sleeping arrangementsPullman open sections, roomettes and other closed rooms
Catering facilitiesDining car
Entertainment facilitiesLounge-coach with radio

Route details

In its prime the Piedmont Limited operated over the following roads:[2]

Major cities served

Aside from the above cited cities, the train served Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Greensboro, Charlotte, Spartanburg, Greenville, Gainesville, Mobile and Gulfport.[4]

A spur branch served Birmingham, but this was eliminated by 1964.[5] Amid the postwar decline in passenger rail service, by 1967 the train was cut back to an Atlanta-Washington daytime service, supplementing the then-Southern Crescent along its middle leg. In 1975, its southern terminus was truncated to Charlotte.

By the time it was discontinued in 1976, the once-proud train had seen its southern terminus cut back to Salisbury, North Carolina.[3]

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References
  1. "This date in Southern Railway history". Southern Railway History. Southern Railway Historical Association. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  2. "New Southern Train Will Be Put On April 26". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. March 7, 1925. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  3. Cox, Jim (2011). Rails Across Dixie: A History of Passenger Trains in the American South. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 9780786445288. OCLC 609716000.
  4. Southern timetable, July 1952 Table B http://streamlinermemories.info/South/SOU52TT.pdf
  5. Southern timetable, April 1964, Table B http://streamlinermemories.info/South/SRR64-4TT.pdf

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