The Pan American, Flagship Train Of The Louisville and Nashville Railroad

The Louisville & Nashville is not well remembered for its passenger services although its flagship and most popular train, the Pan American, was a fairly successful operation for several years although officially it was not an entirely streamlined train (it was, however, upgraded with various equipment throughout its years of operation). While most of the L&N’s passenger trains and services were dropped or cancelled prior to the creation of Amtrak in the spring of 1971, the Pan American, remained until the end ceasing operations on April 30, 1970 one day prior to Amtrak’s startup. Interestingly, the Pan American, train inspired several songs including "Pan-American, Blues" by DeFord Bailey, "The Pan-American," by Hank Williams, and "Pan-American, Boogie" by the Delmore Brothers.

The Pan American, (named because of the service Louisville & Nashville provided hauling Central and South American goods through Gulf Coast ports) began as a heavyweight operation in 1921 serving Cincinnati and New Orleans although with the streamliner revolution hitting the nation in the 1930s the train was reequipped in the 1940s with lightweight, streamlined cars featuring diners, sleepers, lounges, and observations. For power the train originally used Electro-Motive Corporation E6As, later upgrading to EMD E7As between 1945 and 1949. Finally, in 1951 the L&N purchased E8As for passenger service. Interestingly, the railroad never used "B", booster units, which at the time was typically a common practice for a Class I's flagship (it allowed for additional power without the need for an additional cabbed locomotive).

Listed as trains #8 and #9 on the L&N timetable, essentially the Pan American was more luxurious version of the Humming Bird, which only offered dayliner services such as coaches and lounges. As with all of the Louisville & Nashville's original passenger fleet, the train's locomotives were bedecked in L&N's handsome deep blue and cream with red trim while the cars featured a combination of deep blue and stainless steel. In later years the railroad changed this to a more simple general livery of grey, yellow, and red for all its equipment, including freight. While the passenger trains still carried a level of good looks the new paint scheme was simply not as catching as the original.

Like with the rest of the rail industry, by the 1960s the L&N was looking to get of the passenger train business. Interestingly, the railroad was so quick to call it quits on the Humming Bird that it discontinued the train in the middle of its run in 1969, making news all over the country! Still, while most of the L&N’s fleet was discontinued by the late 1960s, the Pan American, carried on until the end when Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail operations on May 1, 1971.

During the Pan American's final years of operation it still retained sleeper service, an amenity quickly disappearing by the 1960s in the rail travel industry. However, the train had lost virtually all of its other amenities such as lounge and observation service and including only a diner and reclining seat coaches (although the diner did feature full-service meals). By this time the L&N's South Wind was the only intercity passenger train to still offer near-full services and amenities such as sleepers, lounges, coaches, and even a grill car.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Streamliners Section

Share Your Thoughts