Below is information on the Silver Meteor consist and where I obtained it.
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Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Unofficial Home Page
Page 2
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Last updated October 9, 2008
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Passenger Trains:
SILVER METEOR
In 1939, they introduced the first streamliner into Florida service, the legendary Silver Meteor. Modeled on the wildly successful all-coach streamliners introduced by the Burlington and Santa Fe railroads in the west to attract the thrifty, depression-era travelers back to the rails, they placed the Budd-built all-stainless steel streamliner in service February 2, 1939.
Diesel powered, with all-reclining seat coaches, diner, tavern-coach and coach-observation car, the streamliner proved so popular that the Seaboard had to order new cars the next year and even added Pullman sleeping cars forward of the coaches (in dull Pullman Green spoiling the all-stainless silvery look). After the war, the Seaboard re-equipped their trains with new coaches and observation cars with a full lounge. They gradually added streamlined sleepers as they became available, until the train hit its peak from 1956 on with the new Pullman-Standard coaches and the beautiful Sun-Lounge, with 5 double bedrooms and a lounge with giant picture windows all the way to the roof, with windows on the roof. With ultra modern furniture and driftwood lamps, the car presented a very cheery, Florida atmosphere for Pullman (1st class) sleeping car passengers.
The Pullman Sun Lounge on the Silver Meteor from the April 30, 1967 timetable
The Silver Meteor was a 2:50 pm departure from New York, 7:05 pm from Washington DC and arriving the next day around 4 pm in Miami; Northbound, it was typically a 9:00 am from Miami arriving next morning in Washington DC around 6:00am, and arriving New York around 10:30 am.
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From the December 17, 1965 Timetable:
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Until the advent of Amtrak and for a while after, the Seaboard (later as Seaboard Coast Line merged with Atlantic Coast Line in July, 1967) always maintained the Silver Meteor as a classic streamliner from nose to tail, always ending in the trademark round-end observation car long after every other railroad in the U.S., with the exception of Burlington's California Zepher, removed the observation cars as un-economical.
The classic Budd-built 1947 Tavern-Observation car that always graced
the rear of the Silver Meteor as well as the cover of all the timetables
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Seaboard Coast Line's northbound Silver Meteor at 79 MPH, 'leaning into' the
big curve at Opa Locka, FL, August, 1970
This is how I like to remember her - three big 'E' units roaring , running like the wind, me, standing on the platform of the first car, top door open, taking it all in, the breath-taking speed, the deafening roar of the engines, the banging of the draft gear between the cars, the smell of hot oil, rolling, rolling, rolling with a sense of urgency, the feeling that somehow I was a part of this magnificent juggernaught sweeping all before it in defiance of the elements.
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The Silver Meteor in the '60s would be typically arranged as noted below. Cars were positioned in that order from front to rear - between New York and Wildwood, Florida, the St. Petersburg and Venice section was in the middle of the train, its diner serving the Pullman sleeping car passengers. The train was split at Wildwood, Florida. A switch-engine would attach to the Observation car and they would uncouple and pull out the section going to Tampa, and at Tampa, some cars would be sent south to Sarasota and Venice, while the rest continued to St. Petersburg. The main Miami section would highball down the tangents out of Wildwood, often topping 100 miles per hour between Sebring and West Palm Beach:
Equipment, Winter Season, 1964:
(from Timetable effective December 15, 1964)
SILVER METEOR
Train Numbers 57 Soutbound, 58 Northbound
Type Car .....................Car No........Between:
Baggage-Dormitory.................................New York-Miami
10 Roomettes 6 Double Bedrooms....R-356 B-49 .....Washington-Miami
10 Roomettes 6 Double Bedrooms....S-101 B-50 .....New York-Miami
5 Dbl Bdrms, 2 Cpts, 2 Drawing Rm S-103 B-52 .....New York-Miami
10 Roomettes 6 Double Bedrooms....S-104 B-53 .....New York-Miami
5 Dbl Bdrms - Sun Lounge......... S-105 B-54 .....New York-Miami
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11 Double Bedrooms................S-108 B-49......New York-St.Petersburg
Diner.............................................New York-St.Petersburg
10 Roomettes 6 Double Bedrooms....S-106 B-48 .....New York-Venice
10 Roomettes 6 Double Bedrooms....S-104 B-53 .....New York-St.Petersburg
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........19-W..19-W .....New York-St.Petersburg
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........20-W..20-W .....New York-Venice
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........18-W..18-W .....New York-St.Petersburg
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Diner.............................................New York-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........13-E..13-E .....New York-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........14-E..14-E .....New York-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........15-E..15-E .....New York-Miami
Tavern-Observation*...............................New York-Miami
*Round-end
Accomodation Notes:
Roomettes - Single room, about the size of a twin bed, with pull-down bed from the wall behind the seat. To use the toilet, the bed has to be pushed up into the wall. With the bed down, most Roomettes required the occupant to open the door first before getting out of bed, with a zippered curtain so you could stand in the aisle to fold up your bed to use the toilet. more moderen ones had a cutaway bed so you could stand up without opening th door.
Dbl Bdrms = Double Bedrooms - accomodation for two, can be opened en-suite with other bedrooms to accomodate four, private toilet..
Cpts = Compartments - accomodation for two, larger than Bedroom, private toilet.
Drawing Rm = Drawing Room - accomodation for three, private toilet
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Silver Meteor consist and where I obtained it.