On February 2, 1939, 85 years ago, Seaboard Air Lines’s Florida streamliner the Silver Meteor departed NY Penn Station for the very first time on its 1,388 mile journey between NYP and MIA.
SAL got the jump on ACL by several months fielding the first overnight Florida streamliner. The original Silver Meteor all-coach consist was made up of seven handsome stainless steel lightweight Budd cars pulled by a single EMD E4 diesel locomotive painted in the beautiful SAL “Citrus” scheme. See photo below of SAL E4 3002 lettered for the Silver Meteor at Ivy City engine terminal in 1940.
Service was originally three days a week. However, due to the overwhelming success of the train, SAL ordered two more Budd trainsets in mid-1939 to enable daily service which began in December 1939. Heavyweight sleepers were added in 1941 and they regularly sold out. Lightweight sleepers and lounges were added to the Meteor after WWII when it was upgraded with new equipment. Throughout the SAL era the Meteor was carded at 25 hours, 25 minutes between NYP and MIA. Today’s Amtrak Silver Meteor makes the trip in 27 hours, 45 minutes. A great long distance train that has been crewed by many fine railroaders throughout its SAL, SCL, and AMT years of service! - Allan Paul, Feb. 2, 2024