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
Category Archives: Illinois Central
“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
When Eisenhower became president, his brother Milton (then president of Penn State University) sent him a 15-page memo arguing that federal policies that discriminated against the railroads — policies devised when railroads were the only effective form of transportation — … Continue reading
This classic image of New Orleans’ St. Louis Cathedral graces the cover of a 1970 beverage menu from the Panama Limited. The cathedral dates to 1850 and was preceded by other churches on the site dating back to 1718. Click … Continue reading
In 1963, the Florida East Coast Railroad, which was just emerging from bankruptcy, decided to buck the union work rules that had been accepted by the rest of the railroad industry. This allowed the railroad to operate much more efficiently, … Continue reading
This menu appears to show a succession of six locomotives used during the Illinois Central’s long history. However, the first one is questionable. The Illinois Central was first conceived in 1836, but little if anything was built before 1850. Yet … Continue reading