To winter weary wealthy from the north, it was once a speedy and fashionable escape from the bitter cold. In the late 1930s it proved to be a savior for a railroad trying to enhance its reputation as a leader in first-class transportation. To bluegrass musicians, it represented a classic folk tune that set the bar for accomplished fiddlers to replicate. Finally, the name briefly helped a new-age, merged railroad to promote fast freight service.
The passenger train with that legendary name was christened in 1925 by S. Davies Warfield, Chairman of the Seaboard Air Line Railway. SAL partnered with the PRR and RF&P for luxury service between New York and Florida. By 1926 the train covered that route in 36 hours and thus it became a favorite among discriminating, luxury-loving travelers. In Baltimore, the Birthplace of American Railroading, the train had a special meaning since in that era, the SAL was managed by Baltimore interests and its finances were governed by the conservative Mercantile Bank and Trust Company. Even the start of the Great Depression did not dampen the popularity of that train, due in part to the early use of Air-Conditioned passenger cars, many of them reassigned Pullman cars formerly used on the 20th Century Limited made surplus by the dismal economy.
Still, as the 1930s pressed on, competition – autos and busses and early aviation – did start to dig into train revenues. The SAL itself suffered during that dark economic period as well but the railroad took quick action. The railroads’ passenger service was then considered an underdog to the Atlantic Coast Line but SAL was determined to advance by introducing modern railroad technology to the south. Between 1936 and 1937 SAL purchased a set of semi-streamlined coaches from Pullman Company’s Osgood-Bradley works. Next, SAL ordered a nine E4 passenger diesels in three A-B-A sets from Electro-Motive in 1938. The new diesel-electric locomotives, delivered late that year chaste in the eye-catching citrus paint scheme (yellow, orange and green) enabled SAL to reduce the trip time of the Special and the new coaches proved to be popular. Those events gave SAL the motivation to move on and introduce completely new diesel-powered streamlined trains of stainless-steel design from the Budd Company in the next several years starting with the exceedingly popular Silver Meteor.
The Orange Blossom Special took on its most lasting legacy when everglades resident-musician Ervin T. Rouse and his brother Gordon toured the train in late one night in 1938. Inspired by the luxurious appointments within, Rouse went home and wrote the melody with that train name in less than one hour and it was first recorded by Rouse and his brother Gordon in 1939. The popularity of the completely new stainless-steel streamlined trains however diminished the importance of the Special. From 1940 forward the train was comprised of mostly older equipment that was none-the-less powered by new diesels. By early 1953 the train’s revenue further declined that it was soon discontinued.
Seaboard Coast Line once briefly revived the name for its fast freight service but it did not stick, in part because of the dynamics and glistening white cars of the latter-day CSX Tropicana Train service, complete with a feature film of the trains’ journey from Florida to New York. The Orange Blossom Special melody of course took on a new life when Johnny Cash revive it, added lyrics and additional instrumental accompaniment. More symbolic, Cash gave Rouse long-overdue recognition for his 1938 bluegrass hit. Images of the steam-powered train leaving Baltimore in 1932 and a 1930s postcard of the Special accompany this article.
We salute that legend, the impact the train had on railroading and the song within on our culture. We also find SAL-themed model railroad equipment of great interest and offer as much of that, as soon as it is released. Take time today to create your own model railroading legend and check out our updated inventory. We thank you for your patronage.
Frank Wrabel
modeltrainstuff.com