The Pan-American was a passenger train operated by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) between Cincinnati, Ohio and New Orleans, Louisiana. It operated from 1921 until 1971. From 1921 to 1965 a section served Memphis, Tennessee via Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Pan-American was the L&N's flagship train until the introduction of the Humming Bird in 1946. Its name honored the substantial traffic the L&N carried to and from the seaports on the Gulf of Mexico. The Pan-American was one of many trains discontinued when Amtrak began operations in 1971.
Postcard photo of the heavyweight train
Postcard of the Pan-American passing the WSM transmitter in Nashville
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad, commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.
Union Station in Louisville, Kentucky
Gold Bond of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, issued 2. June 1890
Interior of an L&N dining car, ca. 1921
Louisville Terminus at Union Station with 11-story L&N Building on the left