The Illinois Central Railroad operated two crack passenger trains along its mainline from Chicago to New Orleans. The all-Pullman train, the Panama Limited was the more expensive of the two. The overnight train left Chicago at 5 p.m., making limited stops as it traveled south through the night, arriving at New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal at 9:30 the following morning.

The companion train to the Panama Limited was the City of New Orleans (trains 1 and 2.) This train left Union Station in Chicago at 7:50 a.m.. The daytime train, introduced in 1947, was less expensive than train 52/53.

The City of New Orleans was immortalized by Chicago composer Steve Goodman in 1970. He wrote the song as he rose on the namesake train, with all of the experiences in the lyrics actually happening to him. In 1972, the song was popularized by folk singer Arlo Guthrie. The song became a symbol of the plight of America’s passenger trains, which were being systematically destroyed by the railroads in the early 1970s. The train was killed when AMTRAK was formed in 1971. Partly due to the popularity of the song, the train was reintroduced in 1981. The name of the train was briefly changed to the Panama Limited, but changed back soon thereafter.

The train still rides that “magic carpet made of steel, although over a slightly different route in Mississippi as it rolls “down to the sea.”

This week, Arlo Guthrie and several musician friends are playing a concert tour along the train’s route, riding the AMTRAK between venues. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Guthrie Tuesday night on the platform at Kankakee, Illinois, where the group was detraining.

For eleven days they will be riding the rails to New Orleans, raising money to assist small music venues in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. Tuesday night, they will play at the New Daisy Theatre on Beale Street in Memphis. Next Saturday night, they will play at Tipitina’s in New Orleans with Willie Nelson.

Good morning America how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son,
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.

Another cold morning across Alabama, and possibly the coldest so far this season at one Northwest Alabama location. Here is a roundup. These lows are as of 6 am. It is possible that the ole thermometer dropped another degree after 6 am at some stations:

14 at Hamilton
18 at Jasper, Gaylesville, Muscle Shoals, Desoto State Park
19 at Addison, Ellisville, Oak Grove, Pinson, Fort Payne, Meridianville
20 at Talladega, Wedowee, Heflin, Decatur, Huntsville
21 in Alabaster, Cullman, Dearmanville
22 in Centreville, Ashville, Wadley, Anniston, Tuscaloosa
23 at Livingston, Alexander City, Childersburg, Birmingham Airport
24 at Clanton, Montgomery and Horseshoe Bend
25 at Shelby County Airport (NWS Forecast Office)26 in Helena
27 in Auburn
28 in Selma and Troy
30 in Evergreen
31 in Mobile

I think, but can't say for sure, that the 14 low in Hamilton this morning is the lowest reported so far this season in the state. It is an official NWS coop observer low.

The Oak Grove listed is in West Jefferson County. There is another Oak Grove in Northeast Alabama.

A FEW NATIONAL NOTES
85 Marathon, Fla., was Friday's warmest
31 below at Doyleville, Colo., the national low
That is 31 degrees colder than this morning's Alaska low of zero at Point Lay
8.6 inches of snow at Boston Logan Airport, their 7th greatest December calendar day snow
Boston weather records date back to 1872
Blizzard conditions with hurricane force winds when the intense low passed just east of Cape Cod yesterday.
Accompaned by two hours of thunder and lightning along and east of the I-95 Corridor
17 inches of snow at Keene and Bennington, N.H.
16 inches at Newbury Port, Mass.

The Saturday map discussion video is on the server at:

http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/video.hrb

The chill continues with the low temperature this morning reaching 23 at the Birmingham International Airport. This ties today with two other dates as the sixth coldest low temperature for all of 2005. And it looks like the chill will continue. With generous sunshine despite some passing mid and high clouds we should see most areas warm toward 50 degrees.

There will be a slight reinforcement of the cold air tonight and tomorrow as a weak disturbance sharpens the northwesterly flow, but then we should see the pattern relax a bit on Monday and Tuesday with temperatures climbing into the lower 50s and much closer to normal values for this time of year.

Wednesday appears to be a wet day for central Alabama as a weak low/trough develops in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and moves across the area. QPF forecasts suggest rain on the order of one inch. Temperatures plunge again with readings expected to be 10 to 12 degrees below normal - but dry.

Thursday the GFS sees to go bonkers as it evolves toward a zonal pattern with the main westerlies along the northern tier of the US. The European does not move that way but keeps the long wave trough over the eastern portion of the country. With the projections from the AO and NAO, it would seem that the GFS solution is not a good one, so confidence in the GFS forecast beyond five days is very low.

This is the first map discussion video I've done in a long time without mentioning the tropics!! Hooray!!

Headed out this afternoon to the Adamsville Christmas parade. If I understand the invitation correctly, I'm going to be emceeing the parade from the reviewing stand. I appreciate the invitation from the parade chairperson, Joy Perry, and I'm looking forward to it.

Hope you have a great weekend.

-Brian-