The Hummingbird and Georgian

By Mike Dowell

During 1941 the Louisville and Nashville Railroad began consideration of joining other American railroads by starting a streamlined diesel powered train. World War II delayed these plans until 1944. At that time the L&N made plans for two new streamlined trains, a Cincinnati to New Orleans route and a St. Louis to Atlanta route. The trains were planned to be coach only trains (no baggage or sleeper accommodations). During 1944 the L&N placed a car order with ACF (American Car and Foundry Company) for 28 streamlined cars. This order would build four identical trains. Each train would be equipped with four coaches, a coach-lounge, a diner, and a tavern-lounge. Eight General Motors EMD E-7 diesel engines were ordered in 1942 to power the new trains. These engines were delivered in April of 1945. Metal shortages delayed the delivery of the cars until the fall of 1946.

In March of 1946 the L&N announced the new trains and held a contest to determine a name for the two trains. The contest generated almost 300,000 entries and a cash prize of $1,000.00 was awarded the two winners. In September of 1946 the winning names were announced by the L&N. The name Humming Bird was chosen for the Cincinnati to New Orleans Route, and The Georgian for the St. Louis to Atlanta Route.

In October of 1946 the trains were delivered to the L&N. Each train set cost about 1 million dollars to purchase. Starting on November 2, 1946 and continuing until November 10th, the trains were exhibited prior to entering service. The exhibition began in Cincinnati and continued to other points on the route. The two trains were exhibited together in Nashville, Tennessee. The trains arrival at each town created media frenzy as radio stations held live remotes and newspapers wrote of the new trains and the luxurious accommodations. In all almost 137,000 people visited the cars while on tour.

The Humming Bird and the Georgian began regular service on November 17, 1946. The southbound Humming Bird departed Cincinnati at 1:45 p.m. and arrived in New Orleans at 7:45 a.m. the next morning. The 992-mile trip was now covered in 19 hours. The Georgian covered its 611-mile route in less than 13 hours. The new trains put the L&N to the forefront as Americas first post war streamlined trains.

At the end of 1947, the first full year of operation, the Humming Bird had carried over 275,000 passengers. However, the two trains were not completely successful. Many riders, especially those who rode from Cincinnati to New Orleans for 19 hours complained of no sleeper service. Also the ridership of the Georgian didn't meet the L&N's Passenger Department expectations. Thus at mid year 1948 the Georgian's schedule was shifted to a Chicago to Atlanta service. In September of 1948 heavy weight sleepers were added to the trains to accommodate overnight travelers. These cars were painted in the new colors worn by the streamliners including shadowline imitation of the aluminum fluting on car sides. The success of the Humming Bird caused the schedule to be shifted in April of 1951 and a Nashville to Chicago section of the Humming Bird ran between those two cities.

The 1953 delivery of 22 Pine Series Sleepers allowed the L&N to upgrade aging equipment. The new sleepers were purchased at a cost of $163,000.00 each. The Humming Bird and the Georgian sleepers were comprised entirely of the new 6-6-4 (six open sections, six roomettes, and four double bedrooms) Pine sleepers. The Pine sleepers arrived painted in gray roofs, and blue sides with gold lettering paint scheme. The Pine sleepers were named after different species of pine trees indigenous to the south.

During the 1960's as a result of greater dependence on passenger cars, buses, and airplanes, passenger traffic on American railroad declined. The Humming Bird and Georgian then saw front-end traffic (mail and express) added to the train to off set losses in passenger revenue. Later in the 1960's the U.S. Post Office began shipping increasing amounts of mail by truck and plane. Mail service ended on L&N trains in 1968. This combined with the impending loss of REA Express, and the February 1, 1968 discontinuance of the Chicago connection of the Humming Bird led the L&N to post the train for discontinuance. The final run of the Humming Bird left Cincinnati on January 8, 1969. The Georgian with several route changes survived until the end of L&N Passenger Service on April 30, 1971. Of the L&N's five remaining passenger trains only the South Wind, was continued by Amtrak when it began operations on May 1, 1971.