The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-28
NEW THROUGH TRAIN MAKING FIRST TRIP Kansas City-FlOrida Special Goes Through City IS FINELY EQUIPPED Made Record Trip on Shedule Time. Many Officials of Frisco and
 Southern on Board for
 the First Run
IS FINELY EQUIPPED
By CLYDE W. ENNIS

By CLYDE W. ENNIS
 With 714 miles of a 12OO mile run trav- eIed. and with the loss of only 10 minutes at Birmingham, the Kansas City-Florida special over the Frisco lines reached here yesterday afternoon at 3:55 o'clock. The inauguration of the new Florida service by the Frisco company in connection at Birmingham with the Southern railway is taken in railroad circles to be one of the most important through passenger ar engagements concerning Birmingham in some time. The new train yesterday ar rived in Birmingham accompanied by a score of passenger officials of both lines The run between Kansas City and Bir- mingham was scrutinized at every mile post, and every energy was exerted to make the train get here, prominent ter minal. and at Jacksonville, on time If the Southern railway end of the trip is handled as auspiciously and efficiently as the Frisco lines the service will enter Jacksonville this morning on schedule time.
 The new. service leaves Kansas City at 6:15 D. m. and operates 12l2 miles into Florida in s6 hours and 30 minutes. That is with almost entire equipment un- touched and every car rolling through from the west to the south. Only one change is made in the equipment, that being in this city, where the Frisco diner is succeeded by Southern railway diner. Otherwise no disarrangement of the yes tibuled service is made
 In many respects the run yesterday is without parallel in the operation of rail- roads in this section. The through oper- ation, while "thrown down" at times by unavoidable delays, passed every import ant station nearly on time, and 1t is con- sidered a very good piece of work in rail- read operation. The train entered Mem phis yesterday morning only 30 minutes late, and went into Amory D minutes late. Between Amory and sulligent the Flor ida special has a schedule of 50 miles per hour. Between those two places, a distance of 10 miles, the flyer clipped off the distance at rate of 50 miles per hour or saved two minutes on the operat- ing schedule on that stretch of track.
 Regains Lost Time
 At Jasper yesterday the train arrived 20 minutes late, at Dora IS minutes late and at Birmingham 10 minutes late. The Southern railway, whose rate of schedule maintenance is considered remarkable, will no doubt handle the train as eff ficiently into Florida.
 The train yesterday was equipped with one of the new Pacific engines in charge of Engineer Charles Bernard modern | steel coaches and standard steel Pullman cars. The day coaches were high back reclining chair cars of the most recent design. Conductor Frank Baldwin and Flagman D. F. Popham handled the train into the city, being relieved here by a Southern railway crew. The dining car conductor was Alfred G. Frey of Kansas City.
 The dining car yesterday was hand somely decorated for the trip, streaming smilax being strewn through the cars and on the tables, while a galaxy of Amer l jean Beauty roses were placed on every table. The roses were afterwards pre- sented to the lady passengers with the compliments of the passenger officials of the Frisco who were on the train.
 For the purpose of accompanying the train to this city from Memphis, the fol- l following passenger agents were at Mem phis: Capt. J. G. McGregor of Birming- ham, A. P. Matthews of Atlanta. L. B i Washington of Jacksonville and J. r Liston, assistant superintendent of Bir- lnfngham Superintendent Jackson, his chief clerk. Roy R. Root; j. l. Miller secretary to General Agent A. D. Light ner: Lomax M. Smith and R. B. Creagh district passenger agent for the South ern railway, and Chief Dispatcher Sul. livan went to Dora yesterday afternoon and returned on the new train.
 Southern Officials on Board
 From Kansas City came H. j. New ot the Southern J. c. Loverin of the Frisco while Jack N. Cornatzer. assistant gen. eral passenger agent, and Charles La mon of the Frisco. came from Mem phis.
 From Atlanta J. T.. Meek assistant gen. eral passenger agent for the Southern boarded the train at Memphis, as did James Freeman of the Southern, c. A | DeSausen, assistant general passenger agent for the Southern, and c. c. Stew ar. of the Southern. These officials, with some exceptions, continued with the trair to Florida.
 1 Superintendent J. H. Jackson said yes. | terday that the trackage conditions be tween this city and Memphis on the Southeastern division of the Frisco hao 1 recently been placed in very fine condi- tion and that he did not anticipate any difficulty in maintaining the exact sched. ule of the new train. The Frisco tracks were yesterday being further improved | by gangs of men who were scattered every few hundred feet between Blrmlng. ham and Dora.
 only recently the majority of trestles on the Frisco have been destroyed and tne places filled with earth in order tc lessen the danger.
 | For Birmingham the new service means d considerable amount of passenger trave | being diverted from other channels ane brought through Birmingham. No ex- | tensyo efforts have been made until this time to appeal to the people of the west | to travel to Florida by a direct. shorter | and uninterrupted route through Birming ham. In this connection it is said tho Frisco and Southern later will arrang, stop-overs here. On the direct and re turn trip Birmingham will no doubt bt visited by many persons heretofore going l to Florida through Atlanta.
 
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