Gulf Wind
Encyclopedia
The Gulf Wind was a streamlined
passenger train inaugurated on July 31, 1949 as a joint operation by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
(Seaboard Coast Line after merger with the Atlantic Coast Line
on July 1, 1967). The Gulf Wind replaced the heavyweight New Orleans - Florida Limited as the premier train on this routing.
The train's 617-mile route ran from Jacksonville, Florida
via Tallahassee
, Chattahoochee
, Pensacola
, Flomaton
, Mobile
, and Biloxi
to New Orleans
. Locomotives were changed at Chattahoochee, where the SAL rails met those of the L&N.
With a schedule designed for passengers changing to or from the Seaboard's Silver Meteor
at Jacksonville, the Gulf Wind originally departed both endpoints at 5 p.m. daily for the overnight run across the Florida Panhandle
and along the Gulf Coast, arriving about midmorning at the other end of the line. The name was likely inspired by the success of an earlier train carried partly over L&N rails, the Chicago-Miami South Wind
.
The consist
of the Gulf Wind included baggage car
s, coaches, and Pullman
sleepers, as well as an L&N diner
between New Orleans and Mobile, and an SAL diner between Chattahoochee and Jacksonville. A round-ended observation car
was also a regular part of the Gulf Wind consist.
In its later years, as passenger numbers dwindled, the Gulf Wind was often combined with L&N's northbound Piedmont Limited
from New Orleans to Flomaton, and with the southbound Pan-American
from Flomaton to New Orleans. The Gulf Wind's daily schedule was cut back to triweekly in the late 1960s.
The last run of the Gulf Wind occurred on April 30, 1971. Amtrak
, which took over nearly all passenger train operations in the United States on the following day, elected not to continue running the Gulf Wind, which despite good equipment and service was not a profitable train at that point in time.
The western portion of the Gulf Wind route from Mobile to New Orleans was briefly served by Amtrak's Gulf Coast Limited
from around 1984 to 1997.
The Gulf Wind route had no scheduled passenger train service between Jacksonville and Flomaton until the revived and extended tri-weekly Sunset Limited
was inaugurated by Amtrak in 1993. The service was again suspended in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina
did extensive damage to the Gulf Coast. It has not been resumed .
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
passenger train inaugurated on July 31, 1949 as a joint operation by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...
(Seaboard Coast Line after merger with the Atlantic Coast Line
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
on July 1, 1967). The Gulf Wind replaced the heavyweight New Orleans - Florida Limited as the premier train on this routing.
The train's 617-mile route ran from Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
via Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee, Florida
Chattahoochee is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,287 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 3,720. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Chattahoochee is...
, Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, Flomaton
Flomaton, Alabama
Flomaton is a town in Escambia County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,588.-Geography:Flomaton is located at .According to the U.S...
, Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, and Biloxi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
to New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. Locomotives were changed at Chattahoochee, where the SAL rails met those of the L&N.
With a schedule designed for passengers changing to or from the Seaboard's Silver Meteor
Silver Meteor
The Silver Meteor is a 1389-mile passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Silver Service brand, running from New York City, New York, south to Miami, Florida, via the Northeast Corridor to Washington, D.C., thence via Richmond, Virginia; Fayetteville, North Carolina; North Charleston, South...
at Jacksonville, the Gulf Wind originally departed both endpoints at 5 p.m. daily for the overnight run across the Florida Panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
and along the Gulf Coast, arriving about midmorning at the other end of the line. The name was likely inspired by the success of an earlier train carried partly over L&N rails, the Chicago-Miami South Wind
South Wind (passenger train)
The South Wind was a named passenger train equipped and operated jointly by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , and the Florida East Coast Railway. The South Wind began operations in December 1940, providing streamliner service...
.
The consist
Consist
A consist , in North American railway terminology, is used as a noun to describe the group of rail vehicles that make up a train. A near-equivalent UK term is rake but this excludes the locomotive....
of the Gulf Wind included baggage car
Baggage car
A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
s, coaches, and Pullman
Pullman (car or coach)
In the United States, Pullman was used to refer to railroad sleeping cars which were built and operated on most U.S. railroads by the Pullman Company from 1867 to December 31, 1968....
sleepers, as well as an L&N diner
Dining car
A dining car or restaurant carriage , also diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant....
between New Orleans and Mobile, and an SAL diner between Chattahoochee and Jacksonville. A round-ended observation car
Observation car
An observation car/carriage/coach is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the last carriage, with windows on the rear of the car for passengers' viewing pleasure...
was also a regular part of the Gulf Wind consist.
In its later years, as passenger numbers dwindled, the Gulf Wind was often combined with L&N's northbound Piedmont Limited
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, Louisiana train, operating over the same route as the more famous Crescent Limited...
from New Orleans to Flomaton, and with the southbound Pan-American
Pan-American (passenger train)
The Pan-American was the Louisville and Nashville Railroad's state-of-the-art train linking the U.S. cities of Cincinnati, Ohio and New Orleans, Louisiana. Service started in 1921 and in 1940 was reequipped with streamlined, lightweight equipment in the way of diners, sleepers, lounges, and...
from Flomaton to New Orleans. The Gulf Wind's daily schedule was cut back to triweekly in the late 1960s.
The last run of the Gulf Wind occurred on April 30, 1971. Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, which took over nearly all passenger train operations in the United States on the following day, elected not to continue running the Gulf Wind, which despite good equipment and service was not a profitable train at that point in time.
The western portion of the Gulf Wind route from Mobile to New Orleans was briefly served by Amtrak's Gulf Coast Limited
Gulf Coast Limited
The Gulf Coast Limited was a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the southern United States. It ran daily from Mobile, Alabama to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans, Louisiana.- History :...
from around 1984 to 1997.
The Gulf Wind route had no scheduled passenger train service between Jacksonville and Flomaton until the revived and extended tri-weekly Sunset Limited
Sunset Limited
The Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental...
was inaugurated by Amtrak in 1993. The service was again suspended in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
did extensive damage to the Gulf Coast. It has not been resumed .
External links
- November 1949 timetable and consist for the Gulf Wind
- The Gulf Wind's final timetable and consist, January - April, 1971
- West Florida Railroad Museum, Milton, Fla.
- Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida, Valparaiso, Fla.
- Pictures of the restored L&N observation car Royal Street, used on the Gulf Wind until 1970
- More pictures of the Royal Street, now in private hands