A brief look at the Georgian passenger train (Part I: The early years)

On November 17, 1946, the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway and the Louisville & Nashville Railroad jointly ushered in a new era…

A Louisville and Nashville Railroad E6A 751 with Train 4, The Georgian, is ready to depart Union Station, Atlanta, Georgia, on November 25, 1967. (Photo by Roger Puta)

On November 17, 1946, the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway and the Louisville & Nashville Railroad jointly ushered in a new era when they introduced the Georgian diesel-powered streamliner running between St. Louis and Atlanta.

The train’s name was selected following a contest to name two trains — one between St. Louis and Atlanta and a second between Chicago and New Orleans. While 292,267 names were submitted, an Evansville resident received a $1,000 first prize for the Georgian name; the other train was named The Humming Bird.

(Runner-up names for the Georgian were The Dixians and The Aristocrat.)[1]