Southern Crescent 1978 to 2011

[@hawghead4596]

I was a fireman on #1 and #2 in 76, 77. You could set your watch by the Crescent, always on time. A freight train never delayed it unless it was a emergency,such as crossing accident, or the freight train was in emergency. I had to copy orders, line switches, start and blow the steam boilers down,and give the engineer a cup of water every thirty minutes. The train had more pictures taken of it than Americas most wanted criminal.

[@krutherfurd]

Great input and thanks for watching . I was so glad I got to ride the Crescent when it was in Southern Railway's capable hands.

[@kevinsmith5288]

Nice rare footage of that Southern Crescent 🌙! Got to ride it a few times in the 70s. Love that Amtrak dome observation car!

[@tommythomason6187]

Incredible Time Piece footage. I never got to ride in one of their two ex-Wabash domes because they put them on and took them off between Atlanta and New Orleans, and I never rode the train southbound to Birmingham. I rode it several times, in the early 70s, to, and from, Atlanta/Charlottesville. A lot of the E8 locomotives were still in the standard SR black paint scheme. These Crescents were 13 to 15 cars long in summer travel months. The Amtrak trains I saw and rode then, weren't in the same class. They looked motley and ran over bumpy, bad track. Southern kept it's tracks in top condition, just as they did with this train.

[@tarmac2001]

I've got to respect Southern Railway's commitment to continue self-running it's passenger trains after the rest of the industry let go of it to Amtrak.

[@jscottrutan1160]

Lovely work. Thanks for posting this. (I'll be traveling on the Crescent from NYC to New Orleans next month.)

[@krutherfurd]

Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you have a marvelous trip.

[@virginiatolles1664]

I've dined in the Southern Crescent heritage diner aboard the Amtrak Crescent, and I've told Amtrak that they need to keep the heritage diners from all the railroads. Probably an impossible task at this point, but wouldn't it be wonderful!

[@paulkirkmanMYTRAINS]

Very nice video. Thanks

[@charleshightower5442]

Look ahead, look south. Beautiful slogan. Let's you know it is southern, baby

[@grebnellok]

What a great video. Brings back many fond memories. I worked for Southern in late 60's and early 70's. Rode the Crescent many times. Wonderful train! Where else could you get a really comfortable coach seat, have okra & tomatoes and grits on the menu? And my first encounter with Kudzu! Thanks.

[@krutherfurd]

Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it and sharing your memories. I am so glad I had a chance to ride it while Southern still operated it. I can also relate to your Kudzu encounter - it was my first too!

[@TheSRNut]

grebnellok Actually, what you rode was the Southern Crescent. It is and was named that not because Southern operated it, but because the Southern merged the Southerner and the Crescent Ltd. to form the Southern Crescent.

[@krutherfurd]

Yes, that is how the "Southern Crescent" came by its name while being operated by the Southern Railway. Interestingly, Amtrak has dropped "Southern" from the train name and it now goes by simply the "Crescent." That is actually what I rode in 2011.

[@TheSRNut]

Yes, I am aware that they renamed it to Crescent. I did rid ride the Piedmont around '72 and the Palmetto several times. I did ride the Silver Meteor once. Never rode the Crescent.

[@telsport]

You rode it when Mr Price was in the galley cooking his famous pancakes ! FDR invited him to be the White House breakfast chef in his early career...FDR loved those pancakes. Mr Price was killed in the Southern Crescent wreck at Lorton Va. in 1977.;..by my knowledge.. check me. My grandaddy, by the way, was chief dispatcher of the Clinchfield RR from the 30's to 1955..Henry D Cheek of Erwin Tn.

[@sonnydean3187]

The HP Long trestle is one of the most famous rail infrastructure ever constructed.

[@dieseltrainfreek]

Amazing Bridge work at 8:36. :)

[@RailPreserver2K]

This is just my opinion but the original had way more class and brass. The Amtrak version is like any other government-run/funded operation which means its near bare bones with none of the elegance, style and grace that you saw with the original.

[@krutherfurd]

Thanks for the input. That's a problem with my regular/Super 8 mm footage - the cameras used had no sound. I left my first film footage video silent and got comments about no sound. I know music is an issue of personal taste. Dubbing train sounds is an option if you have the right sound for the various scenes; the problem is that most of the best sources of train sounds I have come from copyrighted material like CD's and I don't want to use these unauthorized. Narration could be an option.

[@johnnyjames7139]

krutherfurd The music is fine as is the footage.

[@barroningram7286]

yeah but he still gets an A

[@krutherfurd]

Okay - I get it the music stinks. Easy solution though - turn it off!

[@kinkindred]

krutherfurd . Music is fine. As a rider of these very coaches I find it refreshing

[@TheSRNut]

Is this supposed to be a musical or a train video?

[@krutherfurd]

TheSRNut I apologize if the music became tedious, some others felt that way too. Thanks for watching though and hope it wasn't too distracting.

[@TheSRNut]

You had some nice footage, despite the music.

[@jslasher1]

+TheSRNut The music is bloody awful.

[@TheSRNut]

jslasher1 The music shouldn't even be there in the 1st place!

[@gunsaway1]

Amtrash ruined this train. Never runs on time and the crew and service suck.

[@charleshightower5442]

Remember they share tracks w/freight trains. Can't run on time all the time. Make since? Check it out. You might change your tune. Expect lateness if you travel cross country on am track.