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The ''Ponce de Leon'' was a named train of the Southern Railway which ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Jacksonville, Florida, from 1924 to the mid-1960s. ==Operations== The ''Ponce de Leon'' (Train #4) departed Jacksonville at midday going north via subsidiary Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad to Macon and Atlanta, Georgia, then on Southern's former East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad line to Chattanooga, Tennessee, traveling overnight to Cincinnati via Southern subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway. The train provided connections with the New York Central Railroad at Cincinnati for passengers headed to Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, and Buffalo. The ''Royal Palm'' alternated with the ''Ponce de Leon'' on a reverse schedule between Cincinnati and Jacksonville, operating during daylight hours south from Cincinnati and then overnight between Atlanta and Jacksonville. Sleepers were discontinued on the train in November 1959 and it ran as a coach-only consist until the end of operation.〔http://www.american-rails.com/ponce-de-leon.html〕 In 1964, Southern Railway dropped the Atlanta - Jacksonville leg of the ''Ponce's'' operation.〔http://www.jacksonvilleterminal.com/Jacksonvilles%20Royal%20Palms.htm〕 "Southern wanting out of the passenger business discovered a loophole in the law permitting ending passenger service virtually without notice if certain conditions were met pertaining to flagging ridership. The ''Ponce De Leon's'' ridership fell to just the right ratio between Council, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida. (Council, is south of the Okefenokee Swamp about half way between Jacksonville and Valdosta). So one day in February 1964, the ''Ponce De Leon'' rolled out of Cincinnati, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Macon and Valdosta and came to a halt in Council."〔http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php?topic=16787.0〕 A bus connection to Jacksonville was provided for the final leg, which proved effective in driving off the last of the train's ridership, and the Atlanta-Jacksonville segment was discontinued shortly thereafter. By the time Southern Railway filed to discontinue the ''Ponce de Leon'' on January 22, 1968, the train was operating as Numbers 1 and 2, but only between Cincinnati and Atlanta.〔Hendersonville, North Carolina, "Southern Asks Trains Here Be Discontinued", ''The Times-News'', Tuesday 23 January 1968, Volume 93, Number 19, pages 1, 11.〕 The train finally disappeared from the timetable in March 1968.〔http://www.american-rails.com/ponce-de-leon.html〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ponce de Leon (train)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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