Panama Limited

Panama Limited

Postcard depiction of the train, circa 1917.
Overview
First service	February 4, 1911
Last service	February 1, 1981
Former operator(s)	Illinois Central Railroad Amtrak

The Panama Limited was a passenger train operated from 1911 to 1971 by the Illinois Central Railroad between Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. The Panama Limited took its name from the Panama Canal, then under construction and three years from completion. For most of its career the train was "all-Pullman", carrying sleeping cars only. The Panama Limited was one of many trains discontinued when Amtrak began operations in 1971; though Amtrak would revive the service in late 1971 and continue it until 1981. Today the Amtrak's City of New Orleans, another former Illinois Central train, provides overnight service between Chicago and New Orleans.

In the early 1900s the Illinois Central's premier train on the Chicago-New Orleans route was the Chicago and New Orleans Limited. On February 4, 1911, the Illinois Central renamed this train the Panama Limited, in honor of the anticipated opening of the Panama Canal. The train included a St. Louis, Missouri section which connected at Carbondale, Illinois. The train was first-class only north of Memphis, Tennessee. It carried through sleepers for Hot Springs, Arkansas and San Antonio, Texas. It made the journey in 25 hours.

In 1912 the train was replaced with an all-steel, all electric consist. The Illinois Central relaunched the train on November 15, 1916 with new equipment and a new schedule: 23 hours from Chicago to New Orleans. The new train carried sleeping cars only for its entire route. Its old equipment and schedule became a new train, the Louisiane.