The "Panama Limited" was dieselized and streamlined in 1942, during World War II. The Illinois Central had ordered two lightweight sets of equipment before to the attack on Pearl Harbor; after an appeal, the War Production Board allowed their delivery. The first diesel/electric-powered streamlined run of the "Panama Limited" was on May 3, 1942, on an 18-hour schedule. On hand for the first run was Janie Jones, the widow of famed engineer Casey Jones. The "Panama Limited" carried a new orange-and-brown paint scheme that later became standard on Illinois Central passenger trains. Today, Metra, Chicago's commuter rail system, honors this scheme by identifying the Metra Electric District, the Illinois Central's former commuter service to the southern suburbs, as "Panama Orange" on system maps and timetables.