I'm looking for information on how the Chicago-Miami Dixie Flagler streamliner (first run 1940) entered and exited Atlanta Union Station. Anyone familiar with this train's routing for its Atlanta stop?

-- Michael Foster Turnbull (mturnbull@americasmart.com), March 29, 2001

Answers

The train indeed made a back up move and that was somewhat contributory to an accident which occurred in Atlanta on the tracks of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway on June 8, 1946. The Dixie Flagler was backing out of Union Station when it hit the cabose of an L&N train 1822 feet south of Bellwood Tower. The Dixie Flagler-ACL Train 112, with locomotive 7351,a passenger-baggage car, two coaches, a dining car, two coaches and a tavern observation car, was making a backup move from Union station to the ACL connection at Bellwood Tower. At that time, the operating practice was to hold all freights until any first class passenger trains departed Union Station. The L&N conductor called the dispatcher who told him that there were no overdue passenger trains, and the freight moved north, and it stopped at a stop signal. About one minute later, the freight was struck by the tavern-observation car, which was the lead car in the backup movement. It turned out that the NC&STL train dispatcher did not keep records of movements by ACL passenger trains, and thus did not inform the crew of the L&N train that the ACL train was running late and had not yet left Atlanta Union Station. The flagman of train 112 claimed he informed the front brakeman of the L&N train that his train was leaving Union Station, but this was denied by the freight crew. The flagman of train 112 was directed by a yardmaster not to permit any movements ahead of his train, but the flagman disobeyed this direction and permitted the L&N freight to proceed ahead of his train. Further, when train 112, being backed up, passed a proceed-be prepared to stop at the next signal, the train speed did not decrease but stayed at 20 mph. This speed was maintained despite the conductor's air signals from the observation car, until the train passed a stop and proceed signal. The conductor did not do anything at that time and only placed the train in emergency when he saw the rear markers of the freight. the passenger train hit the freight at about 12 mph, injuring 13. the observation car was derailed and considerably damaged.

If you want a copy of the report-give me your snail mail address or fax #.

-- Michael W. Savchak (Savchak @MNR.org), March 30, 2001.

Entering Atlanta southbound on the NC&StL, the train ran directly to Union Station down the "railroad gulch" corridor. Leaving south, the train backed northbound up the NC&StL to Bellwood Tower, where it got onto AB&C rails and continued backing to the AB&C Bellwood Yard. There the train ran the wye and departed for Manchester and Waycross correctly pointed. Northbound from Waycross, the train reversed this procedure, that is, ran the wye at Bellwood Yard first, then backed to Union Station so it would be properly pointed for a northbound departure on the NC&StL. My book, Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast, has more details (see the Society catalog).

-- Larry Goolsby (LGoolsby@aphsa.org), March 29, 2001.