This beautiful reproduction poster has been re-mastered from the original circa 1935 advertising poster for Seaboard Airlines Railroad’s “Orange Blossom Special” winter service to Florida.
The vibrant colors and detail of this classic image have been painstakingly brought back to life to preserve a great piece of history.
The high-resolution image is printed on heavy archival photo paper, on a large-format, professional giclée process printer. The poster is shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, and is ready for framing.
The 13"x19" and 24”x36” formats are excellent image sizes that look great as a stand-alone piece of art, or as a grouped visual statement. These posters require no cutting, trimming, or custom framing, and a wide variety of these frames are readily available at your local craft or hobby retailer, and online. The 24”x36” size has a 1” white border.
A great vintage print for your home, shop, or business!
HISTORY OF THE ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL AND SEABOARD AIRLINES RAILROAD
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad (reporting mark SAL), which styled itself as "The Route of Courteous Service", was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Predecessor railroads dated from the 1830s and reorganized extensively to rebuild after the American Civil War. The company was headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, until 1958, when its main offices were relocated to Richmond, Virginia. The Seaboard Air Line Railway Building in Norfolk's historic Freemason District still stands and has been converted into apartments.
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad's (SAL) luxury passenger train, the Orange Blossom Special, began its first regular runs between New York and Florida on November 21, 1925. The train was the idea of SAL president S. Davies Warfield, who wanted to attract wealthy travelers from the Northeast to Florida during the winter. The train was all-Pullman, and its colors were oranges, lemons, and limes, designed by artist Leland Knickerbocker.
The train's maiden trip included stops in Coleman, Center Hill, Polk City, Auburndale, Fort Basinger, Okeechobee, and West Palm Beach. In February 1926, the train could make the trip from New York to West Palm Beach in 35 hours. The SAL's Cross-Florida extension was completed in 1925, allowing the train to reach Coleman, and in 1926, it was extended to Miami. The train operated until 1953.
There is also a song called "Orange Blossom Special" that refers to the train. Ervin T. Rouse wrote the song as an instrumental in 1938, and he and his brother Gordon recorded it with lyrics in 1939. In 1942, Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys made the song famous.
