I am modeling ACL trains and great trains that entered into Florida. In books I have seen the City of Miami passenger cars were in the colors of the Illinois Central. When I checked out the IHC web page I was surprised to see the City of Miami passenger cars with green roofs and yellow sides. Is this correct? In a train book I have it makes a vague referance to a radical short lived paint scheme. If this is it, was the engine brown and orange or painted to match the cars. Any information on this engine and passenger cars would be appreciated. Thanks.

-- Jim Simoncelli (bluecomet832@webtv.net), June 24, 2000

Answers

I went home and checked my references and was not able to determine the exact date when the IC repainted the consist of the City of Miami, but apparently, it was fairly soon after the train was placed in service, as shots of it in its as delivered colors are fairly rare. There are some excellent color shots of the train's publicity brochures in the Heimberger House book "Pre War Streamliners". The engine had a wavelike design in the front which was unique, to say the least. However, once the train got to Jacksonville, the IC locomotive was replaced by an FEC unit, usually, but not always, the 1003.

Apparently, the IC unit, the 4000, only went to Miami during the first, inaugural trip. I have an ICC report of a derailment on the FEC in 1942 of the City of Miami and the consist was as delivered. The coaches from the original City of Miami lasted on the IC until AMTRAK-in fact one coach-2601-Japonica, was destroyed in the first major Amtrak derailment-that of the City of New Orleans at Tonti IL in November 1971. The observation car was retired by the IC in 1969, along with the diner.

I will be making color xerox copies of the original consist from promotional literature. Anyone who wants copies should let me know- there will be cost which I will let everyone know about before I make the copies.

-- Michael W. Savchak (Savchak @MNR.org), June 27, 2000.

Check http://www.dnaco.net/~gelwood/other/ic.html Two good pictures of City of Miami colors.

-- Randall Bass (Randall_Bass@despo.odedodea.edu), June 26, 2000.

The City of Miami was originally delivered with a distinctive color scheme which was used for a few years only. The exact dates may be in one of my reference books. An excellent source is R. Lyle Key's "Midwest Sunliners", which has a color cover depicting the IC train. Black and White photos of the cars are to be found in Dave Randall's Pullman Standard library. Lemme know if you want xerox copies of the photos I have and I will make copies. Send me your snail mail address.

The City of Miami was ICs entry into the Florida market on Dec 17, 1940 when three trains were announced-The City of Miami-IC-CofG-ACL- FEC sponsorship, South Wind-PRR-L&N-ACL-FEC sponsorship and the Dixie Flagler-C&EI-L&N-NC&STL-ABC-FEC sponsorship. The three trains ran every other day and remained as coach consists throughout the war- they received heavyweight Pullmans in 1949. The City of Miami and the South Wind had custom consists constructed by Pullman-Standard and Budd respectively, while the Dixie Flagler was the renamed consist of the Henry M. Flagler which was constructed as the fourth consist along with the three Champion consists in 1939 by Budd Co for the ACL and FEC. The fourth consist ran as the Henry M. Flagler between Jacksonville and Miami. Two consists were owned by ACL and two were owned by FEC.

-- Michael W. Savchak (Savchak @MNR.org), June 26, 2000.

Yes they are correct for the original paint scheme for the City of Miami and the engine was painted to match the cars except that the sides and front of the engine (#4000) had a distinctive green striping pattern. There is a black and white photo of the train on page 166 in the book Illinois Central Monarchs of Mid-America by W. David Randall and Allen R. Lind published by Prototype Publications in 1973. Library of Congress catalog card number 73-76412.

-- Gary Riccio (g.riccio@worldnet.att.net), June 25, 2000.

Every time I saw the City of Miami it was in typical IC colors. I never saw (or heard of) yellow sides with green roof. If you are modeling this train you can run it with IC engines to represent the winter version or pull it behind the Champion to represent the summer version.

-- Jim Coviello (jcovi60516@aol.com), June 24, 2000.