November 21, 1925
The deluxe passenger train “Orange Blossom Special” made its first regular run between New York and Florida. The Orange Blossom Special, which was characterized at that time by the North Carolina-based News and Observer as “one of the finest of trains,” came about thanks to Seaboard Air Line (SAL) Railroad President S. Davies Warfield. He envisioned such a fast and luxurious train as the perfect means for encouraging even more people from up north to travel to the Sunshine State during cold weather.
For its first journey on this route, the Orange Blossom Special departed from New York City at 9:30 a.m. and arrive on time in West Palm Beach, Florida, at 9:00 p.m. the following day. A few days later, the Delaware-based Evening Journal gave this inaugural run a positive review.
The Evening Journal reported, “The trip of the ‘Orange Blossom Special’ from New York to Florida was accomplished in a manner that speaks well for the management of the Seaboard Railway and their attention to detail. From the head of the road to the engineer at the throttle there was team work that would have done credit to a well-coached football eleven.” This newspaper further stated, “The representatives of the railway looked to every want of the passengers and guests and nothing was left undone for their pleasure and comfort.”
The Orange Blossom Special operated only during the colder months of the year and it ultimately covered 1,388.7 miles (2,234.9 kilometers) — on the Pennsylvania Railroad between New York City and Washington, D.C., then the Potomac Railroad from the nation’s capital to Richmond, and from there along the SAL Railroad to Miami via Raleigh, Columbia, and Savannah. In addition, there was a segment that went to Tampa and St. Petersburg on the west coast of Florida.
The Orange Blossom Special quickly became renowned for its amenities on board, which included barber and manicurist services as well as a wide array of choice desserts and beverages for passengers. New Yorker magazine editor Rogers Ernest Malcolm Whitaker, writing under his pen name of E.M. Frimbo (The World’s Greatest Railroad Buff), called the Orange Blossom Special “the most luxurious winter-season train ever devised by man.”
The train established its place in American folklore once and for all, however, courtesy of an eponymous 1938 fiddle tune composed by Ervin T. Rouse. This song has become a perennial hit at bluegrass festivals and has been performed and recorded by the likes of Johnny Cash and Charlie Daniels.
Service on the Orange Blossom Special was suspended during World War II, but resumed for a few years thereafter. This train’s last run took place in 1953.
Image Credit: Public Domain
For more information on the Orange Blossom Special, please check out https://corridorrail.com/u-s-new-york-florida-service-history-winter-rivals-orange-blossom-special-and-florida-special-had-exceptional-dining-cars/ and https://flowriter.net/2018/11/21/on-this-day-the-orange-blossom-special/
Transportation History 
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