The Panama Limited, Illinois Central's Flagship To The Gulf Coast

The Illinois Central may have only been a moderately sized Class I system but its passenger services were legendary. First among these services was the railroad’s flagship train, the Panama Limited, which connected the Deep South at New Orleans with the Midwest at Chicago. Later, the Panama would see a sister train ply its route, the City of New Orleans, a train that would become equally famous. While the Panama was all about luxury and first class traveling the City of New Orleans, similar to that of the California Zephyr, was meant to be a vacationing experience that anyone could enjoy. The City of New Orleans would later earn renowned status when Steve Goodman wrote that famous song immortalizing the train, City of New Orleans, in 1970 (performed by Arlo Guthrie).

The Illinois Central slogan described the railroad quite well, The Main Line of Mid-America. It was one of only a very few railroads to serve markets with north-south running main lines and not the traditional east-west movements. What made its routing even more odd was that it served Midwestern markets that likewise traditionally moved goods east and west, such as Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans. Regardless of this the IC carved out a living hauling goods from Chicago to New Orleans and while today the Canadian National owns the railroad, its name continues to survive after over 150 years of existence.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Illinois Central Railroad was its electrification project around Chicago (perhaps the largest Midwestern Class I to ever electrify any of its lines), connecting the city's suburbs with its urban centers. However, what the Illinois Central is best remembered for is a simple locomotive engineer who gave his life trying to avoid a train collision, John Luther “Casey” Jones. The wreck itself occurred on April 30, 1900 when a freight and passenger train (the New Orleans Special) collided at Vaughan, Mississippi. In his efforts to avoid the collision Jones saved everyone’s lives except his own. Today, of course, there is now the legendary folk song, “Casey Jones,” which was actually inspired by a worker of the IC who also knew Jones, Wallace Saunders. Another notable person associated with the Illinois Central was Abraham Lincoln, who worked for the railroad from 1853 to 1860 just prior to the Civil Ware as the IC’s corporate lawyer.

The IC’s Panama Limited was all about style and class. The train had been around since 1911, making it one of the oldest named trains in the country. However, like most passenger trains, the Panama’s iconic status was not achieved until the IC streamlined it in May of 1942. That spring when the train was re-inaugurated as a lightweight, streamlined operation (equipment came courtesy of Pullman-Standard) it was bedecked in a beautiful livery of chocolate brown and red with yellow trim (another masterful artistic creation from the design team at EMD).

The interior designs of the Panama were just as striking. Playing on Deep South and Cajun themes the train’s entrées highlighted the finest of the region’s cooking and lounge and parlor cars included bamboo furniture, floral patterned curtains, and squared etched glass on the windows.

Two other attributes the Panama Limited became famous for was its ultra-fast schedule, as it was able to complete the journey between Chicago and New Orleans sometimes in as quick as just 16 hours, typically traveling at speeds of up to 100 mph (what allowed for such high speeds was the IC’s main line between the two cities, which was very flat and straight); and two, its punctuality, as you hardly ever saw the Panama, or any of the IC’s most important trains leaving even a few minutes late!

Interestingly, the Panama Limited continued to see relatively high ridership numbers through the 1960s and in 1959 was even upgraded with Vista-Dome sleeper-lounges. Still, increasing costs to operate passenger trains and the loss of RPO service from the U.S. Postal Service in the late 1960s forced the Illinois Central to begin downgrading its plush Panama, which lost all-Pullman status during that time. Still, the IC, for the most part, remained dedicated to its flagship through to the end and while its final run occurred on April 30, 1971 (the day before Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail operations in the country) its sister train and celebrity City of New Orleans continues to ply the same route and remains a popular operation under Amtrak.

For more reading on streamliners like the Panama Limited you might want to also consider the book Streamliners: History of a Railroad Icon from renowned author Mike Schafer who covers in detail most of the well known and remembered “classic” passenger trains to operate in the country. If you have any interest in such you should very much enjoy Mr. Schafer’s book.

Also, for a superb general history of passenger trains consider the book American Passenger Train from Mike Schafer. Using plenty of colored photographs complemented with lots of good information, if you are interested in passenger trains or would like to learn more about them this book will get you started.