In the summer it only ran to Miami and stopped in Jacksonville Union Terminal. All Seaboard trains using Jacksonville had to back into the terminal, which was one of the largest in the country. In summers only (April - November) the Star carried the Tidewater's Jacksonville-Portsmouth sleeper and coaches between Jacksonville and Raleigh.
By the early 1960's, the Star's observation cars had diaphrams and a bigger door cut into the rear to allow mid-train operation, so the Star no longer finished in the classic round-end observation, the coaches operated up front with the sleeping cars on the rear to accomodate sleeping cars being added and dropped along the way.
 
 

The observation car was often placed at the headend, right behind the crew dorm, facing forward and removed at Washington, otherwise, in the summer season it was attached to the diner mid-train and removed at Washingon as well.

Equipment, Winter Season, 1964:
(from timetable effective December 15, 1964)

SILVER STAR

Type Car .....................Car No........Between:

Baggage-Dormitory.................................Washington-Miami
(Baggage Car......................................Wildwood-St. Petersburg)
Tavern-Observation-Lounge**.......................Washington-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........2-E...2-E.......New York-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........3-E...3-E.......New York-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........4-E...4-E.......New York-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........5-E...5-E.......New York-Miami 

**Two of the five 1947 Budd-built Tavern-Observation cars had an enlarged rear door and diaphrams added for mid-train operation in the early 1960's and operated regularly on the Silver Star. Since 3 cars were necessary to operate through to New York, the two cars went only between Miami and Washington DC.

Note: In Winter Season, when the Silver Star bypassed Jacksonville via the Baldwin cut-off,
In summers when the season was over, the Star often operated between New York and Washington with no Seaboard diner or lounge car - passengers having to eat lunch southbound and northbound on the not-wonderful diners of the trains the Pennsylvania attached to the Silver Star between New York and Washington. By the late 1960's, the Pennsy had only 'Snack Bar Coaches' on the trains the Star was attached to.

Equipment, Summer Season, 1967:
(from timetable effective April 30, 1967)

SILVER STAR

Type Car .....................Car No........Between:

Baggage-Dormitory.................................Washington-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........1-E...1-E.......Washington-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........2-E...2-E.......New York-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........3-E...3-E.......New York-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........4-E...4-E.......New York-Miami
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........5-E...5-E.......New York-Miami
Diner.............................................New York-Miami Note 1
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........6-E...6-E.......New York-Miami Note 1
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........7-E...7-E.......New York-Miami Note 1
Tavern-Observation-Lounge**.......................Washington-Miami
Diner.............................................Washington-Miami
10 Roomettes 6 Double Bedrooms....S-114 B-41 .....New York-Miami
11 Double Bedrooms................S-115 B-42......New York-Miami
10 Roomettes 6 Double Bedrooms....R-360 B-45......Richmond-Miami
Reclining Seat Coach (not reserved)...............Jacksonville to Portsmouth

Note 1: Operated Fri,Sat northbound, Sat,Sun southbound only Jun 2 - Sep 3
Note 2: Carried by Silver Star Jacksonville to Raleigh. See Tidewater

**Two of the five 1947 Budd-built Tavern-Observation cars had an enlarged rear door and diaphrams added for mid-train operation in the early 1960's and operated regularly on the Silver Star. Since 3 cars were necessary to operate through to New York, the two cars went only between Miami and Washington DC.

Both Southern and Seaboard served New York, Philadelphia and Washington via the Pennsylvania RR, but Seaboard's Silver Comet also served Richmond, VA, Raleigh, NC directly and Norfolk, VA (as far as Portsmouth, VA across the river from Norfolk) via a section, operated as the Tidewater from Raleigh No 17 northbound, and as a section of the Silver Comet/Sunland No. 18 southbound, with a diner between Raleigh and Portsmouth

. The Tidewater also fielded through cars from Jacksonville to Portsmouth, VA, operating by itself from Jacksonville trailing behind the Silver Star (and later combined with the Star by 1966). Southbound out of Portsmouth, VA, No. 18 carried both the Atlanta and Jacksonville through cars as far as Raleigh. The Silver Comet carried the Jacksonville cars as far as Hamlet, NC where the secondary train, the Sunland, took over for the overnight run to Jacksonville, with no food service. The Atlanta-Portsmouth sleeping car was discontinued by 1966, leaving only a through Atlanta-Portsmouth unreserved coach.

The Silver Comet was a direct competitor with Southern Railway's Southerner. For example, a typical schedule (effective December 15, 1964): The Comet departed New York at 11:00 am, Washington at 3:20 pm, Raleigh at 9:10pm. It picked up the cars from Portsmouth, VA, Train No. 17, departing there at 4:15 pm and arriving Raleigh at 8:30pm where the dining car from Portsmouth was dropped. At Hamlet, the Sunland's through coach and sleeper to Jacksonville was removed and the Silver Comet continued on to Atlanta arriving at 6:45 am the next day and Birmingham, Alabama at 9:50 am.

Returning from Birmingham departing at 1:35 pm, Atlanta at 6:40pm arriving Hamlet, NC at 1:40 am, the Comet picked up the the Tidewater's through coach and sleeper from Jacksonville, running as the combined Silver Comet / Tidewater Train No. 34 / 18 as far as Raleigh, where the Tidewater, No. 18 continued to Portsmouth, VA arriving at 8:30 am, with the Comet's cars from Atlanta and the cars from Jacksonville, picking up a dining car at Raleigh at 4:15 am. The Silver Comet continued on to Richmond at 7:05 am, where the Tidewater's sleeper from Jacksonville was dropped, and on toWashington at 10:05 am and arriving New York by 2:05 pm.

Under the Seaboard Coast Line, the Silver Comet was further downgraded, losing both the diner and through service to Portsmouth, VA, becoming an Atlanta-Washington DC train by 1969. It was discontinued altogether by the end of 1969.

Equipment, Winter Season, 1964:
(from timetable effective December 15, 1964)

Train Numbers 33 Soutbound, 34 Northbound

Type Car .....................Car No........Between:

Baggage Car........................................Washington-Birmingham
Passenger and Baggage Car.........21-B..21-B.......Washington-Atlanta
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........22-B..22-B.......Washington-Atlanta
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........29-B..29-B.......New York-Atlanta
Tavern Coach (24 Reclining Seats).32-B..32-B.......New York-Atlanta
Coach (52 Reclining Seats)........35-B..35-B.......New York-Birmingham
10 Roomettes 6 Double Bedrooms....S-109 B-72.......New York-Birmingham
Diner (Pennsylvania RR)............................New York to Washington (Oneway)
Diner..............................................Washington-Birmingham
10 Roomettes 6 Double Bedrooms....R-355 B-71.......Richmond-Atlanta 

** Missouri Pacific smooth-side streamlined sleeper
*Operated on trains No 17 and 18 between Portsmouth and Raleigh.

Train Number 16-34-18 Northbound

Type Car .....................Car No........Between:

12 Roomettes 4 Double Bedrooms**..B-3..............Atlanta to Portsmouth*
Coach (Reclining Seats)...........40-B.............Atlanta to Portsmouth*
Reclining Seat Coach (not reserved)................Jacksonville to Portsmouth@
6 Rmtte, 4 Dbl Bdrm, 6 Sec........B-18.............Jacksonville to Portsmouth@
12 Roomettes,4 Double Bedrooms....B-16.............Jacksonville to Richmond
Diner..............................................Raleigh to Portsmouth

*from Silver Comet at Raleigh
** Missouri Pacific smooth-side streamlined sleeper
@ Carried by Silver Star summers only

rain Number 8 Northbound, 33-17-7-107 Southbound

Type Car .....................Car No........Between:

Baggage Service....................................Washington-Tampa-Miami
Reclining Seat Coach (not reserved)................Washington-Jacksonville 

*to Silver Comet
** Silver Comet's Diner

The last New York - Miami (and Tampa at one time) service was the Palmland. This train provided two night out service. Typically, a 7:30 pm departure from New York, stopping at Washington, DC around 12:15 am, Richmond at 2:45 am, and Raleigh, NC at 6:25 am. After Raleigh the Palmland made many local stops all day to Jacksonville, where it would run overnight to Miami, arriving, sometimes at 6:00 am or later, as in this schedule, at 4:55 am. The sleeping car could be occupied until 7:00 am.

Northbound, the Palmland again ran overnight to Jacksonville, then making most local stops from there to Raleigh, then overnight from Raleigh, at 8:00 pm, Richmond at 12:15 am. Washington, DC, at 3:00 am, where it was attached to Pennsylvania (later Penn Central) Train #118 for the overnight run to New York arriving at 8:00 am. It catered to business traffic between the middle south and New York, as well as Jacksonville to Miami overnight traffic, and provided a host of local cities service to the Northeast and Florida. Most of the coaches were modernized heavyweight cars with airconditioning. It was cut back to New York - Columbia, SC late in 1968, under the Seaboard Coast Line. The former Atlantic Coast Line's Gulf Coast Special provided the service from Jacksonville and Savannah to/from the Northeast via Florence, SC and Rocky Mount, NC instead of via Columbia, Hamlet and Raleigh. The sleeping cars were removed from both Palmland and Gulf Coast Special by 1970.

Train Numbers 9 Soutbound, 10 Northbound

Type Car .....................Car No........Between:

Baggage Car........................................Washington to Miami
Baggage Car........................................Miami to New York
Reclining Seat Coach (not reserved)................New York-Miami
Reclining Seat Coach (not reserved)................New York-Hamlet
10 Roomette 6 Double Bedroom......S-121 B-122......New York-Miami
10 Roomette 6 Double Bedroom......S-121 B-122......New York-Hamlet*
Diner..............................................Raleigh-Hamlet
Grill Car..........................................Hamlet-Jacksonville
 

*Last trip Jun 10 soutbound, Jun 11 northbound
 

Accomodation Notes:

Sec = Sections - Pullman's original type of accomodation: Facing seats on either side of an open corridor, where the seats roll down to attach to each other and form a bed, and a pre-made upper berth in an enclosed compartment is opened where the mattress and bedding for the lower bed is kept - the mattress and bedding are pulled down and made up by the porter for the lower berth, curtains are hung screening off each 'section' of the upper and lower berth on each side of the car. toilets and sinks at the ends of the car. The most typical arrangement was 12 Sections and 1 Drawing Room in the traditional Pullman car. Modern streamlined cars had very few sections but those that did typically carried them in configurations like: 6 Sec, 4 Double Bedrooms, Roomettes and on Seaboard, the 4 Sec, 4 Rmtte, 5 Dbl Bdrms, 1 Cpt cars like the 'Cedartown' which ran as the Richmond-Miami car on the Silver Star above.

Rmtte = Roomettes - Single room, about the size of a twin bed, with pull-down bed from the wall behind the seat. To use the toilet, the bed has to be pushed up into the wall. With the bed down, most Roomettes required the occupant to open the door first before getting out of bed, with a zippered curtain so you could stand in the aisle to fold up your bed to use the toilet. more moderen ones had a cutaway bed so you could stand up without opening th door.

Dbl Bdrms = Double Bedrooms - accomodation for two, can be opened en-suite with other bedrooms to accomodate four, private toilet..

Cpts = Compartments - accomodation for two, larger than Bedroom, private toilet.

Drawing Rm = Drawing Room - accomodation for three, private toilet

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