Notes on the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad's Rebel Streamliners

  • Historical Context

    • In 1934, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved a $1 million loan to the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad Company (GM&N) as part of the New Deal's Public Works Administration (PWA).

  • Introduction of the Rebel Trains

    • The loan facilitated the development of two streamliners known as the Rebels (trains 352 and 353).
    • The Rebels operated from Jackson, Tennessee to New Orleans between 1935 and 1954 and were scrapped in 1962.
    • GM&N merged into the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (GM&O) Railroad in 1940.

  • Design and Construction

    • Designed by Otto Kuhler and constructed by American Car & Foundry.
    • The locomotives were equipped with:
    • 660 horsepower Diesel engines from McIntosh & Seymour Company
    • Capable of reaching speeds of around 100 mph.
    • Features of the passenger cars included:
    • Air conditioning
    • Sound insulation
    • A soothing interior design
    • Observation lounge
    • Meals provided
    • Washrooms
    • Specially-designed lighting
    • Sleeping compartments available for overnight travel with hostesses dedicated to passenger care.
    • Hostesses had the motto: "Treat each passenger as if he or she was a guest in your own home" (Daily Clarion-Ledger, 8-28-1935).

  • Public Reception and Popularity

    • The Rebels were extremely popular and generated considerable excitement during their exhibition tours in June and July 1935.
    • Notable newspaper quotes during their exhibition include:
    • “A warm welcome was accorded ‘The Rebel’ … several thousand admirers filed through the air-conditioned coaches” (Daily Clarion-Ledger, 7-1-1935).
    • “The G.M. & N. Rebel … thrilled 50,000 today … crowds surged around the scarlet and aluminum train” (The Commercial Appeal, 6-25-1935).
    • “Crowds at the stations cheered and applauded … workers in the fields along the way paused … to wave her ‘bon voyage’” (Daily Clarion-Ledger, 6-25-1935).
    • “Perhaps no other ‘show’ has attracted as much attention as the Rebel” (The Birmingham News, 7-17-1935).
    • The excitement was so overwhelming that one woman suggested marriage to a porter after learning he worked the train's entire route, saying: "Let’s get married and spend our honeymoon on the train, it would be Heaven" (The Birmingham News, 7-17-1935).

  • Innovations and Economic Impact

    • The Rebels were recognized for their innovations:
    • First streamliner in the South
    • Non-articulated design allowed for flexible addition or subtraction of passenger cars.
    • The economic success of the Rebels is noted by a statistic indicating that "some 40 percent of the passengers had been enticed from their autos" (Schafer and Welsh, 1997).
    • Overall, the PWA’s loan to GM&N proved beneficial for the railroad's development and operations.