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Southern Belle (KCS)
Encyclopedia
The Southern Belle was a named passenger train service offered by Kansas City Southern Railway
(KCS) from the 1940s through the 1960s, running between Kansas City, Missouri
and New Orleans, Louisiana
.
The service was inaugurated on September 2, 1940. To promote the new train, KCS held a beauty contest to find "Miss Southern Belle," a young woman whose image would be used in advertising materials systemwide. Local competitions were held before the train's launch in all of the cities that the KCS served. The ultimate winner of the competition, Margaret Landry Moore, was the winner of the local competition in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
. She was selected as "Miss Southern Belle" at the final competition in New Orleans, Louisiana
, on August 24, 1940. She briefly became a screen actress, being most famous for her cameo as Teresa Guadalupe in The Leopard Man
of 1943.http://imdb.com/name/nm0485079/http://www.amarillo.com/stories/042405/obi_mlmoore.shtml
The last run of the Southern Belle was on November 2, 1969.
baggage
-RPO
-dormitory (car numbers 64, 65 and 66), a 74-seat coach chair car (cars 234, Pittsburg; 235, Joplin; and 236, Texarkana), and a dining
-observation car
(car numbers 54, Kansas City; 55, Shreveport; and 56, New Orleans).
The KCS rebuilt five heavyweight Pullman
sleeper
s for use on the Southern Belle, making them look like their lightweight counterparts and increasing the number of double bedrooms in each. Cars Siloam Springs (formerly McBurney) and Sulphur Springs (formerly McLarty) were rebuilt in time for the train's inauguration. Initially, Pullman service was only offered between New Orleans and Shreveport, Louisiana
. In 1941, car Barksdale (formerly McAllisterville) was added to the train's operation when Pullman service was extended from Shreveport to Kansas City. The first two rebuilt cars were joined a few months later by rebuilt cars State Capital (formerly McElheran) and Mena (formerly McKullo) on the southern leg of the train's schedule.
After World War II
, the train was re-equipped with some new cars built in 1948 by American Car and Foundry (ACF), and by rebuilding some of the original Pullman-Standard cars. Two of the diner-observation cars were rebuilt into tavern-observation cars; car 54, Kansas City (renamed to Good Cheer), and 55, Shreveport (renamed Hospitality), remained in Southern Belle service. The new cars built by ACF equipped two new consists. Each of the new consists included:
The previously-mentioned tavern-observation cars rounded out the ends of the two consists. Between 1962 and 1964, these cars were renumbered and the car names were dropped. The train's consists remained relatively unchanged between 1948 and the train's discontinuance on November 2, 1969. The Good Cheer is presently on display at the Gulf Coast Chapter NRHS, AKA The Houston Railroad Museum.
directed new emphasis to be placed in creating an executive train to entertain shippers and guests. Under his direction, four former Canadian National locomotives, three EMD FP9A and a F9B (three A, and one B) units were purchased. Painted a dark green, they were similar to the paint scheme of the business fleet. Numbered 1-4 and named, Meridian, Shreveport, Pittsburgh and Vicksburg they were placed into executive service.
In 2007, KCS changed the paint scheme to the more traditional and "heritage" paint scheme. The locomotive #4 was also removed from service, and later renumbered 34 and donated to the Kansas City Union Station Rail Experience. In December the train pulls the Santa Express, and it makes the rounds to several KCS cities and stations.
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
(KCS) from the 1940s through the 1960s, running between Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and New Orleans, Louisiana
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...
.
The service was inaugurated on September 2, 1940. To promote the new train, KCS held a beauty contest to find "Miss Southern Belle," a young woman whose image would be used in advertising materials systemwide. Local competitions were held before the train's launch in all of the cities that the KCS served. The ultimate winner of the competition, Margaret Landry Moore, was the winner of the local competition in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. She was selected as "Miss Southern Belle" at the final competition in New Orleans, Louisiana
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...
, on August 24, 1940. She briefly became a screen actress, being most famous for her cameo as Teresa Guadalupe in The Leopard Man
The Leopard Man
The Leopard Man is a horror movie directed by Jacques Tourneur based on the book Black Alibi by Cornell Woolrich. It is one of the first American films to attempt an even remotely realistic portrayal of a serial killer .-Plot summary:The story, set in New Mexico, begins as Jerry Manning hires a...
of 1943.http://imdb.com/name/nm0485079/http://www.amarillo.com/stories/042405/obi_mlmoore.shtml
The last run of the Southern Belle was on November 2, 1969.
Equipment used
Just before inauguration, Pullman-Standard delivered three new lightweight passenger car sets to the KCS for use on the Southern Belle. Each set consisted of a combinationCombine car
A combine car in North American parlance, most often referred to simply as a combine, is a type of railroad car which combines sections for both passengers and freight....
baggage
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...
-RPO
Railway post office
In the United States a railway post office, commonly abbreviated as RPO, was a railroad car that was normally operated in passenger service as a means to sort mail en route, in order to speed delivery. The RPO was staffed by highly trained Railway Mail Service postal clerks, and was off-limits to...
-dormitory (car numbers 64, 65 and 66), a 74-seat coach chair car (cars 234, Pittsburg; 235, Joplin; and 236, Texarkana), and a dining
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....
-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...
(car numbers 54, Kansas City; 55, Shreveport; and 56, New Orleans).
The KCS rebuilt five heavyweight Pullman
Pullman Company
The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
sleeper
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
s for use on the Southern Belle, making them look like their lightweight counterparts and increasing the number of double bedrooms in each. Cars Siloam Springs (formerly McBurney) and Sulphur Springs (formerly McLarty) were rebuilt in time for the train's inauguration. Initially, Pullman service was only offered between New Orleans and Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. In 1941, car Barksdale (formerly McAllisterville) was added to the train's operation when Pullman service was extended from Shreveport to Kansas City. The first two rebuilt cars were joined a few months later by rebuilt cars State Capital (formerly McElheran) and Mena (formerly McKullo) on the southern leg of the train's schedule.
After World War II
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...
, the train was re-equipped with some new cars built in 1948 by American Car and Foundry (ACF), and by rebuilding some of the original Pullman-Standard cars. Two of the diner-observation cars were rebuilt into tavern-observation cars; car 54, Kansas City (renamed to Good Cheer), and 55, Shreveport (renamed Hospitality), remained in Southern Belle service. The new cars built by ACF equipped two new consists. Each of the new consists included:
- one combination baggage-RPO-dormitory (car #67 and #68)
- one 62-seat coach chair car (car #239, Kansas City; and #240, Texarkana)
- two 60-seat coach chair cars (car #241, Shreveport; #242, Alexandria; #243, Baton Rouge; and #244, New Orleans)
- one 36-seat diner (car #57, Old Plantation; and #58, Mountain Home)
- four 14-roomette, 4-double bedroom sleepers (cars Arthur Stilwell, Colonel Fordyce, Harvey Couch, Job Edson, Leonor Loree, Stuart Knott, William Buchanan and William Edenborn)
The previously-mentioned tavern-observation cars rounded out the ends of the two consists. Between 1962 and 1964, these cars were renumbered and the car names were dropped. The train's consists remained relatively unchanged between 1948 and the train's discontinuance on November 2, 1969. The Good Cheer is presently on display at the Gulf Coast Chapter NRHS, AKA The Houston Railroad Museum.
New Southern Belle
In May 1995 with the arrival of the new President of the railroad, Michael HavertyMike Haverty
Michael R. Haverty , aka Mike Haverty, is the seventeenth CEO of the Kansas City Southern Railway . Prior to working for KCS, he had been an executive for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
directed new emphasis to be placed in creating an executive train to entertain shippers and guests. Under his direction, four former Canadian National locomotives, three EMD FP9A and a F9B (three A, and one B) units were purchased. Painted a dark green, they were similar to the paint scheme of the business fleet. Numbered 1-4 and named, Meridian, Shreveport, Pittsburgh and Vicksburg they were placed into executive service.
In 2007, KCS changed the paint scheme to the more traditional and "heritage" paint scheme. The locomotive #4 was also removed from service, and later renumbered 34 and donated to the Kansas City Union Station Rail Experience. In December the train pulls the Santa Express, and it makes the rounds to several KCS cities and stations.