City of New Orleans (train)
City of New Orleans is the name of a daily service on long-distance passenger train, which the U.S. rail company Amtrak operates on a 1490 km long route between Chicago, Illinois, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Since its commissioning in 1947 until the founding of Amtrak in 1971, the train of the Illinois Central Railroad was operated on the same route. The travel time is 19.5 hours. The train mainly by the eponymous folk song from 1972, dedicated to the train became known.
From 1971 to 1981, the City of New Orleans does not drive, after which he disbanded the route from the Panama Limited, the 1981 Amtrak was established. In the train there are double-decker Superliner cars, sleeping cars, a dining and a panoramic carriages. To appreciate the reference to the city of New Orleans, the dining car offers Cajun cuisine, and occasionally plays a jazz band in the train.
- 2.1 Railway companies
- 2.2 Breakpoints
History
1947-1971
The City of New Orleans was founded as a day traffic counterpart to the night train Pullman Panama Limited to life of, on the mainline mainline New Orleans - Chicago wrong. The Panama Limited was the Vorzeigezug of Illinois Central and should attract especially travelers with money and style. After the success of the Panama Limited especially for wealthy Americans should the City of New Orleans will be a " Streamliner for the people". The train was the successor of the steam-powered Creole. While the City of New Orleans in 1947 for the route to Chicago - required 16 hours New Orleans with 25 intermediate stops, the Creole had taken the same distance for a little more than 24 hours. The Creole was in the comfort far behind the City of New Orleans back.
As the Panama Limited also, the whole train in striking Braun-Gelb/Orange of Illinois Central was held. Compared to the Creole cars and locomotives were significantly lighter, which steam was replaced by a diesel locomotive EMD E 7 series. Besides converted in Burnside heavyweight wagons that were taken over by the Creole, pulled the City of New Orleans, new car after the Pullman - Standard. Total IC ordered 28 cars for two trains, and branch lines to St. Louis and Louisville. The first train ran on April 27, 1947.
The connection on the day was considerably cheaper than the Panama Limited, which is why the train soon migration of black Americans has become an important part of the Great from the southern United States to the north. During the Panama Limited was used mainly by business travelers from New Orleans and Chicago, the passengers of the City of New Orleans came from all rural areas where the train had intermediate stops. 1960 added Illinois Central added another passenger car, 1967, she completed the offer to a dome car with panoramic roof. At the same time, however, a steadily deteriorating condition of tracks made sure that the train 's 16-hour travel time could not comply.
From 1971
With the establishment of U.S. persons long-distance Amtrak on May 1, 1971, all trains between Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans have been set up on the Panama Limited. In this case, the Amtrak City of New Orleans on business for a few months before he found his temporary end. Not until 1981 that the then called Amtrak trains running in the night train by the eponymous song now much better known City of New Orleans to, and operates the line since then under that name.
On 10 September 1995, the distance between Memphis and Jackson has been slightly changed. We moved the route from the Grenada District in the Yazoo District. Because of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina had done in Mississippi and Louisiana in August 2005, Amtrak was forced to suspend the connection south of Memphis. However, the operation could be resumed as early as 8 October 2005.
Route details
Railway companies
The routes used by the City of New Orleans, were once part of the Illinois Central Railroad System, and are now owned by Canadian National Railway.
Breakpoints
From north to south:
- Chicago Union Station
- Homewood
- Kankakee
- Champaign - Urbana
- Mattoon
- Effingham
- Centralia
- Carbondale
- Fulton
- Newbern - Dyersburg
- Memphis
- Greenwood
- Yazoo City
- Jackson
- Hazlehurst
- Brookhaven
- McComb
- Hammond
- New Orleans
Songs
The City of New Orleans has been recognized in several songs. 1953 wrote Sonny Boy Williamson II and William Lowe recorded a song City of New Orleans, Sonny Boy Williamson. The two had the train between Jackson, Mississippi and New Orleans used to go to Houston to recordings. In Houston, they recorded the song. The song Special Stream Line of Bukka White is also devoted to this train, and tries to travel in train reproduce acoustically For Sunnyland Slim the train as a name for a song, in which he describes his separation from his partner served. This took the City of New Orleans to leave him.
The folk song City of New Orleans describes a journey in this train in the outgoing heyday of American railroads. The song was written by Steve Goodman in 1971 and also recorded, but only in the version of Arlo Guthrie's around 1972 a worldwide success. Many other well-known folk and country artists such as Johnny Cash, John Denver and Willie Nelson recorded the song on also. The success and popularity of the songs led to Amtrak the Panama Limited 1981 renamed City of New Orleans.