Pullman travel 1944 or 1945

[The Commodore]

 Really enjoyed the issue devoted to Pullman travel.  When I was about four or five, my mother took my brother and I to Jacksonville, Florida from Hattiesburg, Mississippi in a drawing room. I have great memories of that and other trips.  I was wondering if anyone could tell me what would have been the logical routing?  I know it started out on Southern Railway.  We were in the drawing room for the entire trip. 

 

 

[ZephyrOverland]

I have been looking though the July 1944 issue of the Official Guide, and from what I can see the most practical way to get from Hattiesburg to Jacksonville would be taking the all-Coach Southerner to Birmingham or Atlanta and changing to the Kansas City-Florida Special overnight to Jacksonville in a Pullman.  Hattiesburg is on Southern's Chattanooga-New Orleans line and you could instead have taken a Southern train from Hattiesburg to New Orleans and change there to a L&N/Seaboard New Orleans-Jacksonville train, but connecting times were not that great.  I know you said you were in a Drawing Room for your trip, but I have not come across any through sleeping car routes that would have taken you from Hattiesburg to Jacksonville without changing trains.  Could you supply more details about the trips, such as when what time of day you left Hattiesburg and when you arrived in Jacksonville.  Again, if you had taken the Kansas City-Florida Special, you would have arrived in Jacksonville in the morning.  

[The Commodore]

Thanks much for the information.

   As best I can remember, (I being about 4 at the time).  I think we left in the morning from Hattiesburg,   Now that you mention it we must have changed trains before we had the drawing room.  I think we arrived in Florida in the morning. All I remember was it wad rather neat to have your own room on a train which allowed me to play with some toys.  Later when I was about 7 I took a train trip to New Orleans, by myself, and I arrived at night time.  The conductor invited me up to the baggage car to have a cup of coffee (mostly milk I think) and sit around a pot bellied stove.  I've been hooked on train travel ever since.  

Thanks again for all your help and information.