It lost its section that ran from Portsmouth's Seaboard Terminal in early 1968. Owing to declining passenger and mail revenues, the Silver Comet was discontinued in stages in 1969: the last trip between Atlanta and Birmingham was made on January 18 between Washington and Richmond, May 7 and between Richmond and Atlanta, October 14. A 48-seat observation car brought up the rear of the train. The consist of the Silver Comet included baggage cars, coaches, Pullman sleepers, and a dining car between New York and Birmingham, along with through coaches and Pullmans to or from Portsmouth, Virginia, connecting at Raleigh, North Carolina. Under its original schedule, the New York-Birmingham trip took 23 hours at an average speed of 48 miles per hour. From New York to Washington, the train was handled by the Pennsylvania Railroad from Washington to Richmond, by the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad and by Seaboard from Richmond to points south.

ĭaily service extended from New York via Washington, D.C., Richmond, Virginia, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama. The train succeeded the SAL's Cotton States Special, which took the same route and which like the Silver Comet left the northeast at midday and arrived at Birmingham in the late morning. Before its inaugural run, the new train was christened by actress Jean Parker at Pennsylvania Station in New York City. The Silver Comet was a streamlined passenger train inaugurated on May 18, 1947, by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad ( Seaboard Coast Line after merger with the Atlantic Coast Line on July 1, 1967). Routes of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1955 including the Silver Comet from New York to Birmingham

Silver comet trail