Owing to the phenomenal public enthusiasm for the new Silver Meteor, inaugurated Feb. 2, 1939 as Florida's first streamliner, SAL ordered seven 2,000-hp E4 diesel locomotives (#3007-3013). This allowed expanding the single-trainset every-third-day schedule to daily operation. On Dec. 23, 1939, the Silver Meteor's E4s began hauling 7 cars to Miami every day, plus every third day an additional 3 cars to Wildwood FL, where streamlined steam Pacifics finished the Gulf Coast run to St. Petersburg (see consist below).
 

In 1940, more equipment allowed full daily service to both coasts with a 14-car consist. In 1941, heavyweight sleeping cars were added and in 1942, a second section, the Advance Silver Meteor was introduced to help meet wartime demand. In 1947, new equipment for the Silver Meteor allowed the hand-me-down cars to become the new companion train, Silver Star. It offered year-round service to Miami with a winter-season section to St. Petersburg. Both trains received streamlined, lightweight Pullman sleeping cars in 1949. After Seaboard's signature Florida train, the Orange Blossom Special was discontinued, the Silver Meteor was completely re-equipped for the last time in 1956.

Silver Meteor consist, Winter 1939-40
Car #	Car Route	Car Type
1-E	New York - Miami	22-seat coach - baggage - dorm
7-W	New York - St.Petersburg	60-seat coach
8-W	New York - St.Petersburg	60-seat coach
	New York - St.Petersburg	48-seat diner
2-E	New York - Miami	60-seat coach
3-E	New York - Miami	30-seat coach - tavern
	New York - Miami	48-seat diner
4-E	New York - Miami	60-seat coach
5-E	New York - Miami	60-seat coach
6-E	New York - Miami	48-seat coach - observation

• Orange Blossom Special "By Streamliner Through Tropical Florida" post card mailed on Jan 1, 1948, Florida State Archives Photographic Collection. Actually the train was never a streamliner, which led to its falling out of favor and discontinuance. It was diesel powered in its later years.

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• Five daily passenger trains ran through to Miami and four to the Florida Gulf Coast in the winter of 1952/53. The Orange Blossom Special still reigned as the deluxe all-Pullman heavyweight flagship of the fleet, the Silver Meteor and Silver Star were the flashy lightweight streamliners and the Palmland and Sunland were conventional through trains making the local stops enroute to the sunshine state.
  • Winter vacations in Florida and the South, Official Railway Guide, March 1953
  • Condensed Seaboard Florida schedules, Official Railway Guide, March 1953
  • Silver fleet & secondary train consists, Official Railway Guide, March 1953

• Seaboard ordered three unique Sun Lounge cars for the 1956 Silver Meteor. They each had 5 bedrooms and a buffet lounge with ceiling windows wrapping around the sides of the car. This clever interpretation of a dome car was practical enough to fit through the Washington and New York tunnels.

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• Winter 1966-67 was the last peak season before the merger with ACL, but the Seaboard fleet of passenger trains retained their popularity to the end.
  • Condensed through-train schedules
  • Silver fleet & secondary train consists

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Original line drawing art by Stan Lytle, enhanced with road colors and other details by Jack Bleiberg. 1939 Silver Meteor GIF image by Media by McCann.

About color schemes: The image of SAL #3011 and the colors on this page show Seaboard's original diesel "citrus" green, orange and yellow, used from 1938 to 1954.