Frisco’s Kansas City Florida Special arriving Kansas City

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The caption to this photo from David R. Sweetland’s Wabash in Color says this is the KC-Florida Special leaving KC, but I think it’s arriving. At least according to my May 1964 Official Guide and my November 1960 Frisco schedule, the KC-Florida Special left KC at elevenish at night. This photo was taken on Feb. 17, 1963, according to the caption.

At its height the KC-Florida Special carried through sleepers from KC to Miami, although most of the train terminated at Jacksonville. A Frisco lounge and diner ran from KC to Birmingham. The train was never streamlined, although it carried some streamlined cars.

Today’s Amtrak Crescent follows the route of the KC-Florida Special from Birmingham to Atlanta. During the Special’s life, the other important train on Southern’s track between Birmingham and Atlanta was the Southerner. The Crescent at that time used L&N’s route in and out of New Orleans, and used Southern only between Atlanta and Washington, DC.

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2 Responses to Frisco’s Kansas City Florida Special arriving Kansas City

  1. AB Dean says:

    Actually, it has already arrived and the units have run around and coupled onto the sleeper in order to pull the whole consist to Frisco’s 19th Street yards for servicing.

  2. KEB says:

    In this image, the power has run around its train, and coupled to the rear of the KC-Florida Special. The E-units are hauling 106’s consist to the Frisco’s 19th Street Coach Yard and engine facilities, where the passenger cars and E-units will be cleaned and serviced. The Frisco was one of only two KC roads that serviced its own passenger cars. The KCT RR serviced everybody else’s passenger equipment. The train is traveling westward (compass direction) at this location..

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