The all-Pullman Panama Limited, Illinois Central’s premiere train, took 16-1/2 hours between Chicago and New Orleans for an average speed of nearly 56 miles per hour. It probably could have been a little faster if it didn’t have cars added … Continue reading
Paul Proehl, who did the cover art for yesterday’s 1931 booklet about Chicago and a 1926 booklet about the Mississippi Gulf Coast, also did a number of posters for the Illinois Central. Not coincidentally, all of the posters I’ve found … Continue reading
In these post-COVID years I rarely think of a big city as a place to take a vacation. But I remember visiting Chicago many times in the past and going to places like the Field Museum, the Museum of Science … Continue reading
With a pink flamingo on the back representing Florida and a Native American on the front representing the Seminoles (and therefore the train), this booklet describes Illinois Central’s entry into the competition for Midwest-Florida traffic in the early 1920s. IC … Continue reading
Most pages of this timetable are nearly identical to those of yesterday’s, which was issued 17 months before. In place of the “vacation I.Q. test” was a blurb about the Panama Limited. The ad didn’t say so, but in 1952 … Continue reading
“Test your vacation I.Q.” invites the front cover of this timetable (the cover shown below being the back cover). This test, however, was somewhat deceptive. Click image to download an 18.0-MB PDF of this 36-page timetable. “Is Florida too warm … Continue reading
Here is one more Illinois Central booklet about New Orleans from the Charles Medin collection. While it is possible he helped design this booklet, the only artworks are some borders as most of the booklet is photographs. If he did … Continue reading
There is just enough trompe-l’œil in the cover painting on this booklet that it almost makes me dizzy to look at it. Like yesterday’s, this one is from the collection of Charles Medin, who was a staff artist for Illinois … Continue reading
Just east of New Orleans is the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Like yesterday’s booklet about New Orleans, this is from the collection of Illinois Central staff artist Charles Medin. However, none of the artwork in the booklet is by him. Click … Continue reading
Due to its climate, New Orleans has long been a popular vacation spot. The city held out against Jim Crow racism for longer than most other parts of the South, which allowed a flowering of artistic expression among its black … Continue reading
