Orange Blossom Special (passenger train)
Encyclopedia
The Orange Blossom Special was a deluxe passenger train operated primarily by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
between New York City
and Miami in the United States
.
The train was handled by the Pennsylvania Railroad
from New York City
to Washington, D.C.
, the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
from Washington to Richmond
, and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad from Richmond via Raleigh
, Columbia
, Savannah
and Jacksonville
to Miami. A section went to Tampa
and St. Petersburg
, as a winter season only service.
Inaugurated on November 21, 1925, the service was the brainchild of SAL president S. Davies Warfield
, who wanted to capitalize on the booming development that was taking place in Florida at the time. Warfield believed that Florida was a land of opportunity, and with the addition of fast, luxurious train travel, he could lure influential (not to mention wealthy) business leaders to the Sunshine State.
Spurred on by the success of Henry Flagler and his rival Florida East Coast Railway
in attracting travellers to the southeast, the Orange Blossom Special became quite famous in its own right.
It was renowned for its speed and luxury. E. M. Frimbo
, "The World's Greatest Railway Buff", offered this account of a dining car chef who had worked aboard the train:
The service was suspended during WWII
to free the equipment for wartime use in carrying troops. Its last run was in 1953. This market is now handled by Amtrak
's Silver Meteor
.
and Robert Russell "Chubby" Wise
saw this train. Rouse and Wise wrote the "Orange Blossom Special" song
as a fiddle
tune. It has been called the best known fiddle tune of the twentieth century. The tune was first recorded by Ervin and his brother Gordon one year later in New York. Bill Monroe
recorded Rouse and Wise's tune in 1942 (with Art Wooten on fiddle) and popularized the tune. Johnny Cash
named his 1965 album
after the song. The song was also recorded by Bill Ramsey and Don Paulin.
This popular cult tale explains the fascination which led Ervin Rouse and Robert "Chubby" Wise to write the now famous fiddle tune. However, historically the Blossom was never "streamlined" and used Pullman heavyweight sleepers, diners, and some coaches of the winter Tampa run. The Blossom may have used some lightweight cars sporadically in mixed consist with the Pennsylvania Railroad which hauled the Blossom in the Northeast Corridor. If Rouse and Wise did see a streamlined Seaboard train in 1938, it was most likely the "Silver Meteor" which was streamlined with its stainless steel coaches. The name of this train was chosen by a public contest. The Seaboards lightweight trains later became known as the Silver Fleet. This included the Silver Meteor, the Silver Star and the Silver Comet. The train did receive modern EMC E4 diesel locomotives in 1938, but continued using heavyweight Pullmans and American Flyer coaches until its demise in 1953.
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...
between New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Miami in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The train was handled by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. It is now a portion of the CSX Transportation system....
from Washington to Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad from Richmond via Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
and Jacksonville
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...
to Miami. A section went to Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
and St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, as a winter season only service.
Inaugurated on November 21, 1925, the service was the brainchild of SAL president S. Davies Warfield
S. Davies Warfield
S. Davies Warfield was an American railroad executive and banker. He is primarily remembered for extending the Seaboard Air Line Railway into South Florida in the 1920s and for connecting the east and west coasts of Florida by rail...
, who wanted to capitalize on the booming development that was taking place in Florida at the time. Warfield believed that Florida was a land of opportunity, and with the addition of fast, luxurious train travel, he could lure influential (not to mention wealthy) business leaders to the Sunshine State.
Spurred on by the success of Henry Flagler and his rival Florida East Coast Railway
Florida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad.Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a project of Standard Oil principal Henry Morrison...
in attracting travellers to the southeast, the Orange Blossom Special became quite famous in its own right.
It was renowned for its speed and luxury. E. M. Frimbo
Rogers E. M. Whitaker
Rogers Ernest Malcolm Whitaker was an editor of The New Yorker magazine who was known to readers for his many contributions to Talk of the Town under the pen name of E. M...
, "The World's Greatest Railway Buff", offered this account of a dining car chef who had worked aboard the train:
The service was suspended during WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to free the equipment for wartime use in carrying troops. Its last run was in 1953. This market is now handled by 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...
'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...
.
The train and the song
It happened during the maiden run of the new streamlined train at the Jacksonville Seaboard Railroad Station that Ervin T. RouseErvin T. Rouse
Ervin Thomas Rouse is a fiddler and songwriter largely known for his widely recorded "Orange Blossom Special" bluegrass standard....
and Robert Russell "Chubby" Wise
Chubby Wise
Robert Russell "Chubby" Wise was an American bluegrass fiddler.Wise began playing fiddle at age 15, working locally in the Jacksonville area. He joined the Jubilee Hillbillies in 1938, then began playing with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1942, including dates at the Grand Ole Opry...
saw this train. Rouse and Wise wrote the "Orange Blossom Special" song
Orange Blossom Special (song)
The fiddle tune "Orange Blossom Special", about the passenger train of the same name, was written by Ervin T. Rouse in 1938. The original recording was created by Ervin and Gordon Rouse in 1939. It is considered the best known fiddle tune of the twentieth century and is often called simply The...
as a fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
tune. It has been called the best known fiddle tune of the twentieth century. The tune was first recorded by Ervin and his brother Gordon one year later in New York. Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
recorded Rouse and Wise's tune in 1942 (with Art Wooten on fiddle) and popularized the tune. Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
named his 1965 album
Orange Blossom Special (album)
Due to the acclaim that the cover of the song "Orange Blossom Special" received from the audiences that attended live concerts of Cash, a single of the song was released previous to the album, in February of 1965 reaching number three in the Billboard singles. During the mid 1960s, the authorship...
after the song. The song was also recorded by Bill Ramsey and Don Paulin.
This popular cult tale explains the fascination which led Ervin Rouse and Robert "Chubby" Wise to write the now famous fiddle tune. However, historically the Blossom was never "streamlined" and used Pullman heavyweight sleepers, diners, and some coaches of the winter Tampa run. The Blossom may have used some lightweight cars sporadically in mixed consist with the Pennsylvania Railroad which hauled the Blossom in the Northeast Corridor. If Rouse and Wise did see a streamlined Seaboard train in 1938, it was most likely the "Silver Meteor" which was streamlined with its stainless steel coaches. The name of this train was chosen by a public contest. The Seaboards lightweight trains later became known as the Silver Fleet. This included the Silver Meteor, the Silver Star and the Silver Comet. The train did receive modern EMC E4 diesel locomotives in 1938, but continued using heavyweight Pullmans and American Flyer coaches until its demise in 1953.
External links
- Shrady, Theodore and Waldrop, Arthur M.: Orange Blossom Special: The Story of Florida's Distinguished Winter Train. (Valrico, FL: Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads Historical Society, Inc., 1996). ISBN 0-9650359-0-5
- Whitaker, Rogers E. M. and Hiss, Tony: All Aboard With E. M. Frimbo (Kodansha International, 1997). ISBN 1-56836-114-9
- Orange Blossom Special lyrics, song history, free download & fiddle tab links