Throughout most of the fifties, SAL's Silver Star and ACL's Miamian both changed their departure times northbound from Miami, depending on whether it was the winter or summer season. In winter, both trains departed Miami in late afternoon, around 4:30 to 5:30 PM. For the rest of the year, both departed Miami around noon. By the mid-fifties, the Miamian became a winter-only operation and always departed Miami in late afternoon. What was the reason for the seaonal schedule change of these competing trains?

-- harry Delung (hdelung@freebornpeters.com), December 11, 1998

Answers

The answer, in a word, is "Tourists"! In the days of the Silver Star and the Miamian the Winter tourist business was an important consideration (naturally). The departure schedules were modified in order to allow departing northerners sufficient time to check out of their hotels and enjoy every available "last moment in the warm sunshine" before heading back to the chill of the North.

-- Frank C. Davis (Aardvark40@aol.com), December 13, 1998.

I don't know about the "Miamian"but the "Star" ran a different route in the summer and winter. The winter "Star" ran to Tampa and St.Pete via the Gross cut-off and did not go through Jacksonville.In the summer the train ran NYC- Miami via Jax.

-- Joseph Oates (jlosal@gte.net), December 12, 1998.