Illinois Central Seminole

[Anonymous]

I may not have run the exact google search you suggest. I have been surprised at how little detailed information about the IC there is on line. I can find stuff about ancient history, the Chicago station, the locations of some of the old rolling stock, and stuff about the railroad in more recent years. Passenger trains always get very little play compared with motive power, and for the IC, one would almost think nobody alive has ever ridden on any of them because there's so little info available of, say, the kind one can find in books such as "Night Trains."

--Malcolm

[Anonymous]

In addition to eBay, people advertising public or employee timetables for Traings may be another good source. Thanks for thinking of it.

--Malcolm

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the consist information. I don't have access to an Official Guide at present. Every once in a while, I see them available in hardcopy or CD, but currently not for 1965.

I appreciate you looking up this info in 63 and 67.

--Malcolm

[jimrice4449]

I was going to give you the Official Guide consist from my 1950 copy but RR Charlies' are much closer to what you want.   You might try some of the people advertising timetables for sale in Trains, but the big problem(s) w/ the public TT consists is that the don't make any mention of head end cars and generally don't state how many coaches there are, just "coaches Chicago to where ever".

[RRCharlie]

From the June 1963 and February 1967 issues of "The Official Guide of the Railways":

Sleeper - Chicago to Jacksonville, 6 section, 6 roomette, 4 Double Bedroom

[903 in 1963], [901 in 1967]

Diner-Lounge Service-Chicago to Columbus (1963)-Chicago to Carbondale(1967)

Sandwich-Beverage Service-Abany to Jacksonville 

Coaches-Reclining Seats-

Chicago to Birmingham

Chicago to Jacksonville

St. Louis to Carbondale (No. 105)

[Anonymous]

Go to Google and search for Illinois Central Railroad History. There are a lot of sites there. I'm sure you'll find all the info you're looking for. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your information. Based on what I can find, I think your educated guess is pretty darn close. There are a few pix on the web of the Seminole in an ABBA configuration. An A/B seems preferable to A/A, but it might have depended on the season--i.e., how long a train they needed for the ridership.  Actually, I rode the Seminole a couple of times when I was young, but it's been so many years that it's all a blur. It probably did have heavyweights on it--the kind in which you can see straight through from car to car with small bathrooms at the ends rather than those with the wrap-around hall. I remember thinking at the time that the coaches were sort of shabby compared to those being used on the South Wind.

--Malcolm

[KCSfan]

I am not sure of the Seminoles consist in 1965 but will make an educated guess. The train would be powered by two IC E units running in an AA configuration all the way between Chi and Jax. Probably only two sleepers one Chi to Birmingham and the other Chi to Jax. The coaches were modernized heavyweights belonging to either the IC, Cof G or ACL or some combination thereof but all painted in IC colors of orange, chocolate brown and yellow. It's possible that by 1965 some streamlined light weight coaches from other trains that were being discontinued at that time might have been assigned to the Seminole. An IC dining car might still have been run all the way from Chi to Jax. I think it more likely by 1965 that the IC diner may have been dropped at Carbondale and an ACL diner added at Albany or Waycross for the run to Jax. Someone else will have to fill in the other info you asked about.

Mark

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I am searching for information about the Illinois Central (Chicago-Jacksonville) Seminole passenger train as it would have been as of May 1, 1965.

Can anyone verify that the power on this  train would have been E9s in an ABBA configuration with numbers in the 4000 (A-unit) and 4100 (B-unit) series?

How can I determine the exact consist of the southbound Seminole that left Chicago's IC station at 4:20 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, 1965? If this is impossible, can one track down car names/numbers and locomotive types/numbers that were typically on the Seminole in the spring of 1965.

Where would one find a time table for the Seminole in 1965?

Other handy information would include articles about what it was like to ride this train...dining car menu, coach types, lounge car configuration and menu, color schemes, etc.

I'll appreciate any information and tips!

--Malcolm