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125-648: The first station on the site opened on October 10, 1852, with an extension of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad from 22nd Street. At this point, the Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad (future LS&MS) had a depot at 12th Street, alongside another Rock Island depot. In December 1866 a new station opened, and the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad joined the Rock Island as

250-622: A Florida East Coast strikebreaking situation, the unions appealed to the FRA and ICC for relief. Despite the fact that Rock Island management had been able to move 80% of pre-strike tonnage, at the behest of the Carter Administration, the ICC declared a transportation emergency, finding that the Rock Island would not be able to move the 1979 grain harvest to market. This decision came despite the railroad's movement of more grain out of Iowa in

375-775: A "low-altitude" crossing of the Continental Divide . The Rock Island did not concede to the Santa Fe's dominance in the Chicago–;Los Angeles travel market and re-equipped the train with new streamlined equipment in 1948. At the same time, the Limited was dropped from the train's name and the train was thereafter known as the Golden State . The local run on this line was known as the Imperial , which had

500-440: A 10-6 blunt-end sleeping car at the rear but one of the three Rock Island round end observation cars. As for mail cars, baggage cars and baggage dormitory cars, the situation was as follows: Both Southern Pacific and Rock Island each provided five mail-baggage cars (featuring a Railway Post Office) for Golden State service. The Southern Pacific assigned five older heavyweight mail-baggage cars numbered 5065-5069 which were painted in

625-559: A Rock Island Railroad sleeping car from Minneapolis and at the same station it picked up also a Missouri Pacific Railroad sleeping car from St. Louis, The train had a coordinated connection with the National Railway of Mexico 's (NdeM) El Fronterizo (7/8) in El Paso, Texas ; this NdeM train continued to Ciudad Juarez , Chihuahua and Mexico City . The schedule was set to accommodate travel from Los Angeles to Mexico, and

750-561: A branch operating through the northwestern edge of Mexico. The 1948 modernization of the Golden State occurred with some controversy. In 1947, both the Rock Island and Southern Pacific jointly advertised the coming of a new entry in the Chicago-Los Angeles travel market. The Golden Rocket was scheduled to closely match the Santa Fe's transit time end-to-end and was to have its own dedicated trainsets, one purchased by

875-541: A bus terminal, to serve people transferring to CTA buses as well as Blue Line trains at LaSalle . On Father's Day weekend in June 2017, Nickel Plate 765 became the first steam locomotive to enter LaSalle Street Station since Southern Railway 4501 visited the station in 1973. The 765 pulled trips to Joliet, Illinois over Metra's Rock Island District dubbed the Joliet Rocket . One of the cars in this excursion train

1000-415: A joke as service deteriorated badly. Extra fare for Pullman accommodation Los Angeles to Chicago was $ 10 in 1948, adding perhaps 10% to the total fare. The $ 3.50 extra fare for chair car passengers had the advantage of individual reserved seats and modern, leg rest, air-conditioned coaches. If you did not want to pay the extra fare, the slower secondary trains (see below) were available. The additional costs in

1125-713: A maroon front and silver rest and in the early 60's to an all maroon scheme, which by 1967 was enhanced with yellow wings at the front. By late 1953, Southern Pacific PA-1/PB-1 and PA-2/PB-2 units began joining the E7 units with pulling the Golden State, and in 1954 E9 units were added. By this time A-B-A sets became more common on the Southern Pacific, which could be either made up entirely of E7 or PA/PB units or mixed consists featuring E7, E9 and PA/PB units working together. All these Southern Pacific diesel units remained in

1250-608: A new 39¾ hour (the accepted fast schedule between Chicago and Los Angeles/San Francisco) streamliner to be named the Golden Rocket . This name was an extension of the use of the name Rocket that the Rock Island had introduced on other routes combined with the prefix “Golden” which had been used for many years as a prefix for car names. See also the Rocky Mountain Rocket , the Des Moines Rocket ,

1375-665: A non-computer era for coach seat reservations were substantial; however, a nationwide reservation system for Pullman (sleeping car) passengers had existed for many decades. Shortly before World War II, three streamlined dining cars ( Yucca , Saguaro and Ocotillo ) were built by Budd for service on the train. These cars were placed on the Twin Star Rocket in 1945 and later returned to the Golden State . Two-tone grey, smooth-sided 4-4-2 (4 double bedroom, 4-compartment, 2-drawing room) and 6-6-4 (6 sections, 6 roomettes, 4 double bedrooms) lightweight sleeping cars were assigned to

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1500-458: A nuisance to switch and non-revenue producing (mid-train lounge cars always made more money off beverage service). In June 1950 they supplied two blunt-end 10-6 (10 roomette, 6 double bedroom) sleeping cars, similar to the cars built in 1950 for the newly streamlined Sunset Limited . And instead of observation cars, SP supplied two full mid-train lounge cars named Golden View and Golden Outlook that arrived in late 1949. The two consists featuring

1625-417: A protection car in case one of the five regularly assigned baggage dormitory cars were off for shopping. From 1948 until late 1950, the five Golden State consists had been always operating with two headend cars (one mail-baggage car and one baggage dormitory per consist). Only a consist that featured a combination of Southern Pacific baggage dormitory 3100 or Rock Island baggage dormitory 820 together with one of

1750-522: A state that the Union Pacific viewed the expense of bringing it back to viable operating condition to be severely prohibitive. Additionally, the ICC attached conditions for both labor and operating concessions that the UP deemed too excessive for their tastes. These factors led the Union Pacific to walk away from the deal later in 1974. From the vantage point of the 1974 railroad industry, Klitenic's plan

1875-412: A tenant. The Great Chicago Fire of October 1871 destroyed the station, which was rebuilt shortly afterwards. The post-fire station was demolished to make way for a new station designed by the architectural firm Frost & Granger which opened July 1, 1903 and stood until 1981. This station was a set for Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 North by Northwest , starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint , and in

2000-552: A “Western” series of 12 roomette, 4 double bedroom cars built for the Wabash and Union Pacific, were extra spacious. Also in 1954, Southern Pacific provided new 44-seat corrugated side coaches for the Golden State, which unlike the older smooth side coaches were built by Budd instead of Pullman Standard. In 1959, Rock Island purchased three lightweight smooth side baggage dormitory cars from the New York Central, which replaced

2125-595: Is planned. Metra's proposed SouthEast Service would terminate at LaSalle, and the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) infrastructure improvement program would allow trains from Metra's SouthWest Service to use the terminal. In June 2011, The Chicago Department of Transportation opened the LaSalle/Congress Intermodal Transfer Center alongside the station as

2250-494: Is primarily a shortline holding company, while also providing numerous other railroad services, such as switching, railroad management, railcar fleet management, railcar storage, and locomotive maintenance. The company acquired their first railroad in early 2019 with the acquisition of the Mississippi Delta Railroad . The company rosters eight locomotives. Golden State (train) The Golden State

2375-535: Is where the change from Rock Island to Southern Pacific crews and locomotives were made. The Rock Island main line crossed the Colorado and Southern and Fort Worth and Denver railroad main line at Dalhart, Texas . This Dallas-Denver line was the route of the Texas Zephyr and other trains. For many years travelers could connect here to go north and south between El Paso and Denver, the only other route being

2500-795: The Choctaw Rocket (Memphis—Little Rock—Oklahoma City—Amarillo) and the Cherokee (a local counterpart to the Choctaw Rocket , Memphis-Little Rock-Oklahoma City-Amarillo-Tucumcari-Los Angeles). By the time Amtrak was formed in 1971, the once-proud Rock Island was down to just two intercity trains, the Chicago-Peoria Peoria Rocket and the Chicago-Rock Island Quad Cities Rocket, both of which now operated entirely within

2625-522: The Peoria Rocket and others. The Golden Rocket was to have two sets of equipment (one supplied by each railroad) and compete with Santa Fe's Super Chief , another train between Chicago and Los Angeles. The Rock Island ordered cars with a red and silver color scheme, lettered for the Golden Rocket . The Southern Pacific was not as enthusiastic, primarily because of upgrades needed on

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2750-489: The Burlington , only over a longer route. The Midwest rail network had been built in the late 19th century to serve that era's traffic. The mechanization of grain hauling gave larger reach to large grain elevators , reducing the need for the tight web of track that crisscrossed the plains states such as Iowa. As for available overhead traffic, in 1958, no less than six Class I carriers were serving as eastern connections for

2875-658: The Chessie System . The Chicago and North Western acquired the line between the Twin Cities and Kansas City. The line between Tucumcari and St. Louis was acquired by the Cotton Belt . The Choctaw Route was sold in pieces. The line between Herington, Kansas and Fort Worth, Texas was sold to the Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad . The line between Peoria, Illinois , Bureau Junction and Omaha, Nebraska

3000-533: The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad in the Chicago-to-Denver market. While the Q fielded its Zephyrs on the route, the Rock Island ran the Rocky Mountain Rocket . The RMR split at Limon, Colorado , with half the train diverting to Colorado Springs , an operation known as the "Limon Shuffle". The Rock Island conceded nothing to its rival, even installing ABS signaling on the route west of Lincoln in an effort to maintain transit speed. The train

3125-494: The Golden State Limited ran year-round until it ended in 1968. Limited was dropped from the name on May 18, 1947, and the train became the Golden State . In summer 1926, the train left Chicago at 8:30 PM CST and arrived Los Angeles 68 hr 15 min later. During the 1920s and 1930s when Florida became a popular winter destination, the Rock Island and Southern Pacific positioned the Golden State as an escape from

3250-510: The Green Mountain train wreck resulted when a Rock Island Railroad passenger train derailed, killing 52 passengers and severely injuring scores of others. The railroad retired its last steam locomotive from service in 1953. The Rock Island stretched across Arkansas , Colorado , Illinois , Iowa , Kansas , Louisiana , Minnesota , Missouri , Nebraska , New Mexico , Oklahoma , South Dakota , and Texas . The easternmost reach of

3375-539: The New York Central Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad was added in 1946 but ended in 1951. Other sleeping car routes on the Golden State included Chicago – Kansas City and Chicago – San Diego (via the Southern Pacific and their subsidiary, San Diego and Arizona Railway , connecting at Yuma, Arizona ). The train carried linked sleeping cars from other carriers: in Kansas City, it picked up

3500-653: The Union Pacific at Omaha, all seeking a slice of the flood of western traffic that UP interchanged there. Under the ICC revenue rules in place at the time, the Rock Island sought traffic from Omaha, yet preferred to keep the long haul to Denver , where interchange could be made with the Denver and Rio Grande Western , a connection to the Western Pacific for haulage to the West Coast. The only option for

3625-447: The 1920s on, the suburban services were operated using Pacific-type 4-6-2 locomotives and specially designed light-heavyweight coaches that with their late 1920s build dates became known as the " Capone " cars. The suburban service became well known in the diesel era, as the steam power was replaced, first with new EMD FP7s and ALCO RS-3s , with two Fairbanks-Morse units added later. In 1949, Pullman -built 2700-series cars arrived as

3750-528: The 1973 movie The Sting starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford . From its completion in 1882, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate Road) ran over the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway from a junction at Grand Crossing neighborhood north to downtown Chicago, where it had its own terminal south of LaSalle between 1892 and 1898. The LS&MS quickly gained control of

3875-550: The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific from Ashburn. On January 18, 1957, trains of the Michigan Central Railroad began serving LaSalle, operating on the New York Central Railroad 's Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway from its former crossing at Porter, Indiana to Chicago. LS&MS and Michigan Central trains (both part of the New York Central system) last used LaSalle on October 26, 1968 (soon after

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4000-505: The Daylight scheme until 1958 and 1959 when they were gradually repainted into the “Bloody Nose” scheme featuring a red nose and grey rest, which they kept until the very end. Also by 1960, F7 units started to appear pulling the Golden State for a limited time in the early '60s. Although the Golden State was officially declared a dieselized train by January 1948, the Southern Pacific regularly assigned GS-4 class 4-8-4 steam locomotives to pull

4125-871: The El Paso–Kansas City portion of the route, which was single track and poorly signaled. After Southern Pacific decided not to participate, Rock Island's set of Golden Rocket equipment was re-lettered and integrated into the Golden State . The Golden State became a streamliner in January 1948, with vermilion red on the upper body and pier panel and the lower bodies either natural corrugated stainless steel or silver or grey paint on smooth-sided cars. The train ran with many styles of equipment. Smooth-sided and corrugated stainless steel equipment were mixed and heavyweight baggage, Railway Post Office (RPO) and dormitory cars were common. Transcontinental sleeping car service between New York and Los Angeles on alternate days via

4250-566: The Federal Bankruptcy Act. William M. Gibbons was selected as receiver and trustee by Judge Frank J. McGarr, with whom Gibbons had practiced law in the early 1960s. With its debts on hold, Rock Island charted a new course as a grain funnel from the Midwest to the port of Galveston, Texas. The Ingram administration estimated that the Rock Island could be rebuilt and re-equipped at a cost of $ 100 million and sought financing for

4375-432: The Golden State between Tucumcari, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas until late 1953. Due to diesel shortages on the Southern Pacific, which lasted until the mid '50s, steam helpers in form of GS class 4-8-4, MT class 4-8-2, SP class 4-10-2 and even AC class 4-8-8-2 and 2-8-8-4 steam locomotives were a common sight on the Golden State. In July 1948 the Golden State left Chicago at 10:15 pm CST and arrived Los Angeles 5:15 pm on

4500-534: The Golden State train name in the logo, by slightly enlargening the height of the red letterboard stripe and by painting the headend cars solid grey. A unique type of sleeping car was introduced by Rock Island in 1954; 10 cars with eight roomettes and six bedrooms assigned to the Rocky Mountain Rocket and the Golden State . These cars had more space for long-distance travelers. Standard streamlined sleeping cars with roomettes normally held 22 passengers in various configurations (10-6, 14–4, etc.) but these, along with

4625-613: The Golden State's route west of Yuma. The Sunset runs three times weekly; Southern Pacific reduced the Sunset Limited from daily to tri-weekly before Amtrak's formation. The Southern Pacific line from Los Angeles to El Paso was completed in May 1881; the Golden State ran on the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad from Tucumcari, New Mexico , to El Paso. West of there it sometimes used the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad (EP&SW) through Douglas, Arizona , to Tucson and sometimes

4750-634: The Mississippi River. In Iowa, the C&;RI's incorporators created (on February 5, 1853) the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Company (M&M), to run from Davenport to Council Bluffs , and on November 20, 1855, the first train to operate in Iowa steamed from Davenport to Muscatine . The Mississippi River bridge between Rock Island and Davenport was completed on April 22, 1856. In 1857,

4875-621: The New York Central's 20th Century Limited from 1902 until 1967 and the Rock Island-Southern Pacific Golden State Limited from 1902 until 1968. LaSalle still serves commuter trains on Metra 's Rock Island District . As of 2007, approximately 17,000 people boarded Metra trains at LaSalle each day. It is planned that, in the future, Metra's SouthWest Service will be shifted from the Union Station to LaSalle Street. Additionally,

5000-556: The Nickel Plate, and later allowed it into its LaSalle Street Station as a tenant. In July 1916, the by-then New York Central sold the Nickel Plate to the Van Sweringens , but it continued to operate into LaSalle until the end of Nickel Plate passenger service. From July 31, 1904, to August 1, 1913, trains of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad also used LaSalle Street Station, which reached it via trackage rights on

5125-565: The RTA Commuter Rail Division, now Metra, in 1984. From 1972–75 the Rock Island operated a restaurant called Track One, using two former railroad cars parked on track 1 at the station. The two cars, the dining car Golden Harvest and the club-lounge Pacific Shore , had previously served on the Golden State Limited . Although only Metra's Rock Island District trains now use LaSalle, additional service

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5250-414: The Rock Island assessed its options. It hired a new president and CEO, John W. Ingram , a former Federal Railway Administration (FRA) official. Ingram quickly sought to improve efficiency and sought FRA loans for the rebuild of the line, but finances caught up with the Rock Island all too quickly. With only $ 300 of cash on hand, on March 17, 1975, Rock Island entered its third bankruptcy under Chapter 77 of

5375-439: The Rock Island elected to add to a subsequent order and took delivery of its first bilevel equipment in 1964. Power for these new cars was provided by orphaned passenger units: three EMD F7s , an EMD E6 , and the two EMD AB6s . The engines were rebuilt with head end power to provide heat, air conditioning, and lighting for the new cars. In 1970, another order, this time for Pullman-built bilevel cars arrived to further supplement

5500-406: The Rock Island immediately post-war with A-B and A-B-B sets of EMD E6, E7, E8 and sometimes even Alco DL units being assigned to the train. Later, A-B-A sets and even some FP7 units became more common. In 1947 Southern Pacific bought three 6,000 hp (4.47 MW) A-B-B sets of EMD E7 units in the vermilion and silver (aluminum) colors. These red and silver Southern Pacific E7s were repainted to

5625-547: The Rock Island introduced diesel power to its passenger service, with the purchase of six lightweight Rocket streamliners . In competition with the Santa Fe Chiefs , the Rock Island jointly operated the Golden State Limited (Chicago—Kansas City—Tucumcari—El Paso—Los Angeles) with the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) from 1902 to 1968. On this route, the Rock Island's train was marketed as

5750-648: The Rock Island owned 4-4-2 and 6-6-4 sleepers. In the late 1950s the slower counterpart train on generally the same route was the Imperial . Between 1947 and 1950, after the demise of the Golden Rocket, streamlined sleeping, chair, meal and lounge cars were added. As five consists were necessary, Rock Island and Southern Pacific each supplied two or three different cars. For example, Rock Island and Southern Pacific each built and assigned two 12 double bedroom sleeping cars for Golden State service, which resulted in four consists each featuring one such car type, while

5875-472: The Rock Island to forsake the Denver gateway in favor of increased interchange at Omaha. Incredibly, the Rock Island refused this, and the UP routed more Omaha traffic over the Chicago and North Western . As a result, by 1974, the Rock Island was no longer the attractive prospect it had once been in the 1950s. The cost-cutting measures enacted to conserve cash for the merger left the Rock Island property in such

6000-405: The Rock Island to grow revenues and absorb costs was to merge with another, perhaps more prosperous railroad. Overtures were made from fellow Midwest granger line C&NW, as well as the granger turned transcon Milwaukee Road. Both of these never advanced much beyond the data gathering and initial study phases. In 1964, its last profitable year, the Rock Island agreed to pursue a merger plan with

6125-418: The Rock Island was handling about 30 percent of its prestrike tonnage with 5 percent of the prestrike onboard train operating personnel. Projections indicated that by the end of November, the company would be handling about half of its prestrike tonnage and earning a profit of about $ 5 million per month. In other words, the company was winning the strike." Seeing the trains rolling despite the strike and fearing

6250-489: The Rock Island was not capable of operating profitably, much less paying its outstanding debts. At the same time, Crown invested as much as he could in Rock Island bonds and other debt at bankruptcy-induced junk status prices. For the previous two years, while the Rock Island invested heavily into its physical plant, the Rock Island brotherhoods had been working under labor agreements that were no longer valid. The front line operating employees had not had an increase in pay since

6375-435: The Rock Island's final plan of reorganization. He simply initiated the shutdown and liquidation of the Rock Island, which was what Henry Crown had advocated for from the very beginning. Not wanting to preside over an asset sale, Rock Island president John W. Ingram resigned, and Gibbons took over as president of the bankrupt railroad. Kansas City Terminal began the process of embargoing in-bound shipments in late February, and

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6500-588: The Rock Island, including the Chicago-Omaha main line, would go to the Union Pacific. The Kansas City-Tucumcari Golden State route would be sold to the Southern Pacific. The Memphis-Amarillo Choctaw route would be sold to the Santa Fe. The Rio Grande would have an option to purchase the Denver-Kansas City line. During most of the ensuing merger process, Rock Island operated at a financial loss. In 1965, Rock Island earned its last profit. With

6625-485: The Rock Island, the other by Southern Pacific. As the Rock Island's set of streamlined passenger cars was being finished, the Southern Pacific abruptly withdrew its purchase. The Rock Island's cars were delivered and found their way into the Golden State' s fleet soon after delivery. The Golden State was the last first-class train on the Rock Island, retaining its dining cars and sleeping cars until its last run on February 21, 1968. The Rock Island also competed with

6750-423: The Santa Fe (Silver series) and New York Central (Central series). Starting in 1940, 8-section, 5-double bedroom rebuilt heavyweight Clover -series cars appeared on the Golden State . During 1926-29 and after 1948 the Golden State was an extra-fare train, supposedly to account for the costs of the luxury service and the reservation system for chair car seating. In later years, the extra fare became something of

6875-475: The Santa Fe to Albuquerque with a second change of trains at La Junta, Colorado. As part of the merger agreement between EP&SW and SP in 1924, the SP agreed to build a main line through Phoenix , which until then was on a branch from Maricopa. The main line was built from a point near Picacho through Coolidge to Chandler, Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix thence on existing tracks to Buckeye with a new extension to Wellton on

7000-472: The Southern Pacific (SP) via Deming; SP carried the train Tucson to Los Angeles. The former EP&SW between Douglas and El Paso was abandoned in 1961 and the tracks removed in 1963. Rock Island had many feeder lines used for freight and passenger service to southern California. One of these was the ‘ Choctaw Route ’ from Memphis through Little Rock, Oklahoma City and Amarillo to Tucumcari, New Mexico. This line

7125-492: The Southern Pacific and Rock Island were added to the Golden State as they were built. Southern Pacific used “Roman”-style lettering on its equipment, while the Rock Island favored “Zephyr”-style lettering. Except for the 1942 built sleeping cars, the postwar cars built for the Golden State also differed in their car side style between the two roads: Except for two corrugated side coaches, Southern Pacific cars had smooth sides, while Rock Island cars had corrugated sides except for

7250-678: The UP, which would form one large "super" railroad stretching from Chicago to the West Coast. Facing the loss of the UP's traffic at the Omaha gateway, virtually every railroad directly and indirectly affected by the potential UP/Rock Island merger immediately filed protests to block it. With these filings began the longest and most complicated merger case in Interstate Commerce Commission history. Faced with failing granger railroads and large Class I railroads seeking to expand, ICC Hearing Examiner Nathan Klitenic, presiding over

7375-451: The advantage of the country. The M&M was acquired by the C&RI on July 9, 1866, to form the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company. In 1877 Ransom Reed Cable became a director and in 1883 replaced Hugh Riddle as president, retiring as Chairman of the Board in 1902. The railroad expanded through construction and acquisitions in the following decades. On March 21, 1910,

7500-419: The aura from those days waned in the late 1950s, the Rock Island found itself faced with flat traffic, revenues, and increasing costs. Despite this, the property was still in decent shape, making the Rock Island an attractive bride for another line looking to expand the reach of their current system. The Rock Island was known as "one railroad too many" in the plains states, basically serving the same territory as

7625-424: The blunt-end 10-6 sleeping cars on the rear operated with the full mid-train lounge cars, while the three consists featuring observation cars operated without any full lounge car, as these observation cars themselves featured a buffet lounge in the rear half of the car. In May and June 1956, the Rock Island converted their three observation cars for the Golden State into full mid-train lounge cars, which caused three of

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7750-523: The books to show the precarious financial condition of the road in an effort to get the BRAC in line with the other unions that had already signed agreements. Fred J. Kroll, president of the BRAC, declined the offer to audit the books of the Rock Island. Kroll pulled his BRAC clerks off the job in August, 1979. Picket lines went up at every terminal on the Rock Island's system and the operating brotherhoods honored

7875-479: The borders of Illinois. However, the Rock Island opted against joining Amtrak, in part because the government assessed the Amtrak entrance fee based upon passenger miles operated in 1970. After concluding that the cost of joining would be greater than remaining in the passenger business, the railroad decided to "perform a public service for the state of Illinois" and continue intercity passenger operations. To help manage

8000-538: The case, sought to balance the opposing forces and completely restructure the railroads west of the Mississippi River. After 10 years of hearings and tens of thousands of pages of testimony and exhibits produced, Klitenic, now an administrative law judge, approved the Rock Island-Union Pacific merger as part of a larger plan for rail service throughout the West. Under Klitenic's proposal, almost all of

8125-521: The cold eastern and Midwestern winters, with some success. For years the primary competition was Santa Fe's California Limited which did almost twice the business. When the Santa Fe Chief started in November 1926, the Golden State started running on the same 63-hour schedule with the same $ 10 extra fare (until 1929). After World War II, the Rock Island and Southern Pacific considered

8250-545: The company was acquired by the Maytag Corporation. Ironically, through the megamergers of the 1990s, the Union Pacific ultimately ended up owning and operating more of the Rock Island than it would have acquired in its attempted 1964 merger. The one line it currently does not own (or operate regularly, other than detours) is the Chicago-to-Omaha main line that drove it to merge with the Rock Island in

8375-715: The confines of the state of Illinois and renamed the Quad Cities Rocket . Other trains operated by the Rock Island as part of its Rocket fleet included the Corn Belt Rocket (Chicago—Des Moines—Omaha), the Des Moines-Omaha Limited (Chicago-Des Moines-Omaha), the Twin Star Rocket (Minneapolis—St. Paul—Des Moines—Kansas City—Oklahoma City—Fort Worth—Dallas—Houston), the Zephyr Rocket (Minneapolis—St. Paul—Burlington—St. Louis),

8500-402: The early 1960s. Ruth Henning is listed as a co-creator of the show, along with her husband Paul, who also created The Beverly Hillbillies and executive produced Jay Sommers's Green Acres . The Rock Island Line Workshop, located in Silvis, Illinois , is now home to the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RRHMA), a non-profit railroad preservation organization. Built in 1903, this was

8625-441: The end of 1970, it operated 7,183 miles of road on 10,669 miles of track; that year it reported 20,557 million ton-miles of revenue freight and 118 million passenger miles. (Those totals may or may not include the former Burlington-Rock Island Railroad .) The song " Rock Island Line ", a spiritual from the late 1920s first recorded in 1934, was inspired by the railway. Its predecessor, the Rock Island and La Salle Railroad Company,

8750-419: The end of that summer, the Illinois Division had no slow orders, and freight velocity was rising. The sale of the Golden State Route to the Southern Pacific had been agreed to. The Rock Island slowly inched towards a financial break-even point, despite the economic malaise that plagued the late 1970s. Creditors, such as Henry Crown , advocated for the shutdown and liquidation of the property. Crown declared that

8875-424: The existing contracts expired yet remained on the job during extensive contract negotiations. By the summer of 1979, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the United Transportation Union had accepted new agreements. The Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks (BRAC) held firm to their demand that pay increases be back dated to the expiration date of the previous agreement. The Rock Island offered to open

9000-597: The failing Rock Island decided to continue using LaSalle. The Rock Island ended intercity passenger service in 1978, but continued operating its commuter trains until handing them to the Chicago and North Western Railway in 1980. Only a year later, C&NW handed the former Rock Island commuter lines to the RTA's newly formed operating arm, the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation. It became part of

9125-415: The familiar “Daylight” scheme (red, orange and black) in June 1949 before the Golden State even had received all its ordered lightweight cars which did not occur until June 1950. Until 1954, the Rock Island diesel units were painted in the original red, maroon and silver “Rocket” colors. In 1954 that changed to a simplified scheme without the red color, in 1958 to an even more simplified scheme featuring mostly

9250-463: The fifth consist had a 4-4-2 sleeping car in place of the non existent fifth 12 double bedroom sleeping car. Unlike the Rock Island, the Southern Pacific had five 10-6 (10 roomette, 6 double bedroom) sleeping cars assigned to this train, where three cars of this type were normal mid train sleeping cars and two of this type were tail cars with a blunted end. The three normal mid train 10-6 sleeping cars usually ran in those three consists that did not feature

9375-436: The final train battled three days of snow drifts to arrive in Denver on March 31, 1980. Cars and locomotives were gathered in 'ghost trains' that appeared on otherwise defunct Rock Island lines and accumulated at major terminals and shops and prepared for sale. The railroad's locomotives, rail cars, equipment, tracks, and real estate were sold to other railroads or to scrappers. Gibbons was able to raise more than $ 500 million in

9500-508: The first air-conditioned commuter cars on the line. In the 1960s, the Rock Island tried to upgrade the suburban service with newer equipment at lower cost. Second-hand Aerotrains , while less than successful in intercity service, were purchased to provide further air-conditioned accommodations that had proven popular with the 2700 series cars. When the Milwaukee Road purchased new Budd Company stainless-steel, bilevel cars in 1961,

9625-598: The first place. This line now prospers under the Iowa Interstate Railroad . The company inspired the song " Rock Island Line ", first written in 1934 and recorded by numerous artists. A spur of the Rock Island Railroad that ran beside a small hotel in Eldon, Missouri , owned by the grandmother of Mrs. Paul (Ruth) Henning also inspired the popular television show Petticoat Junction in

9750-756: The five consists to operate without any tail car, as the Rock Island did not have any blunt-end sleeping cars. The five Golden State consists were remarkable in the point that they featured at least six unique cars that never were built in more than one example. These cars were Southern Pacific lightweight smooth side baggagage dormitory 3100, Rock Island lightweight corrugated side baggage dormitory 820, Rock Island lightweight corrugated side 4-4-2 sleeping car La Quinta , Rock Island lightweight corrugated side coffee shop lounge El Café (informally labeled as “Fiesta Car”), Rock Island lightweight corrugated side dining car El Comedor and Rock Island lightweight corrugated side sleeper buffet lounge observation La Mirada . Especially

9875-495: The fleet. To provide the power for these cars, several former Union Pacific EMD E8 and EMD E9 diesels were also rebuilt with head end power and added to the commuter pool. The commuter service was not exempt from the general decline of the Rock Island through the 1970s. Over time, deferred maintenance took its toll on both track and rolling stock. On the Rock Island, the Capone cars were entering their sixth decade of service and

10000-480: The form of the Quad Cities Rocket and Peoria Rocket , operating to Rock Island and Peoria, respectively. These final intercity trains serving LaSalle made their final trips on December 31, 1978, ending the station's role as a terminal for intercity passenger trains. A connection at Englewood Station was completed on October 15, 1971, to allow the Rock Island to also operate over the PFW&;C to Union Station, but

10125-400: The heavyweight baggage dormitory cars that the Rock Island had been constantly using for the Golden State since 1942. And also in 1959, Rock Island purchased two lightweight smooth side lounge cars from the New York Central for Golden State service, while it reassigned its original Golden State assigned lounge cars La Mirada, Golden Divan and Golden Vista to other trains. Dieselization began on

10250-540: The highest elevation en route was over 6,600 ft (2,000 m) near Corona, New Mexico . Other transcontinental routes reached elevations of more than 7,000 feet (2,100 m) in the Santa Fe railway near Flagstaff, Arizona , and Union Pacific near Sherman, Wyoming . At 2340 miles it was one of the longest continuous passenger railroad routes in the United States, to be exceeded by the SP's Imperial and by Amtrak 's pre-2005 Sunset Limited . The train

10375-570: The letterboard instead of Golden State . Unlike for the mail-baggage cars where each road had provided five cars for, the situation for the baggage dormitory cars was different, as there were only five such cars in total assigned for Golden State service. The Rock Island provided three baggage dormitory cars: One lightweight corrugated side baggage dormitory numbered 820 built new by Pullman Standard in 1947 and two older heavyweight baggage dormitories numbered 6014 and 6105. The Southern Pacific provided modernized heavyweight baggage dormitory car 3401 which

10500-465: The liquidation, paying off all the railroad's creditors, bondholders and all other debts in full at face value with interest. Henry Crown was ultimately proven correct, as both he and other bondholders who had purchased Rock Island debt for cents on the dollar during the low ebb in prices did especially well. The line from the end of commuter service in Blue Island to Bureau Junction was leased to

10625-548: The luxurious 2-double-bedroom, 1-drawing room observation La Mirada , built for the Golden Rocket , the Rock Island had observation cars Golden Vista and Golden Divan . All these three observation cars arrived in August 1948, which means by the time the Golden State was officially introduced as a streamliner in train in January 1948, all five consists continued operating without any observation cars until August that year and two consists even until June 1950. The Southern Pacific did not believe in observation cars, feeling them to be

10750-623: The merger into Penn Central ); the next day, it began operation into Union Station via a connection in Whiting, Indiana and the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway . Amtrak came into existence on May 1, 1971, taking over most intercity rail service across the nation. However, LaSalle was unaffected: Penn Central's services via former New York Central tracks had been relocated to Union Station as noted above. The Rock Island opted out of Amtrak and continued to operate intercity service in

10875-440: The merger with Union Pacific seemingly so close, the Rock Island cut expenses to conserve cash. Expenditures on track maintenance were cut, passenger service was reduced as fast as the ICC would allow, and locomotives received only basic maintenance to keep them running. The Rock Island began to take on a ramshackle appearance and derailments occurred with increasing frequency. In an effort to prop up its future merger mate, UP asked

11000-515: The mud. Rail and tie replacement programs attacked the maintenance backlog. This coincided with a massive campaign beginning in May 1975 to rebrand the railroad as simply “The Rock”, with modern eye-catching livery. However, the FRA-backed loans that Ingram sought were thwarted by the lobbying efforts of competing railroads, which saw a healthy Rock Island as a threat to their own survival. By 1978, main line track improved in quality. For example, at

11125-472: The names and the Golden State lettered letterboards for their cars. The repainting process from the red and silver paint scheme to the all silver scheme for Rock Island cars and to the simulated stainless steel with red letterboard stripe scheme for Southern Pacific cars started in April 1953 and was not finished until January 1955. In late 1958, the Southern Pacific cars paint scheme was again changed by deleting

11250-469: The nearly 30-year-old 2700s suffered from severe corrosion due to the steel used in their construction. LaSalle Street Station , the service's downtown terminal, suffered from neglect and urban decay with the slab roof of the train shed literally falling apart, requiring its removal. By this time, the Rock Island could not afford to replace the clearly worn-out equipment. In 1976, the entire Chicago commuter rail system began to receive financial support from

11375-444: The new red and silver scheme. The Rock Island assigned three newly in 1947 built lightweight corrugated side mail-baggage cars numbered 802-804 and later in 1952 two newly rebuilt (from old parlor cars) heavyweight mail-baggage cars numbered 720 and 721. These three cars were the only cars of the entire Golden State car pool that never received the red and silver paint scheme and remained all stainless steel with Rock Island lettering in

11500-464: The number of heavyweight cars in a Golden State consist could reach up to three. Only a consist which had either Rock Island baggage dormitory 820 or Southern Pacific baggage dormitory 3100 in combination with Rock Island mail-baggage cars 802-804 and Rock Island mail-storage cars 852-853 would be an all streamlined consist. It was not until 1959 that the number of heavyweight cars assigned to the Golden State consists would be reduced again. In addition to

11625-572: The numerous stations on that route. The Suburban Line served the Beverly area of Chicago as a branch leaving the main line at Gresham and heading due west, paralleling the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad passenger line before turning south. The Suburban Line made stops every four blocks along the way before rejoining the main line at Western Avenue Junction in Blue Island . From

11750-444: The old station. The RTA gradually rebuilt the track and added more new equipment to the service, leaving the property in better shape than it was in the Rock Island's heyday, albeit with less track. The Rock Island District , as the Rock Island's suburban service is now known, now operates as part of Metra , the Chicago commuter rail agency. The Rock Island hit its peak under the presidency of John Dew Farrington, from 1948 to 1955. As

11875-493: The original SP main. This alternate route is no longer in service between Roll and Buckeye, Arizona, although the tracks are in place. The Golden State received regular upgrades to equipment. Beginning in 1924 Golden -series observation cars were assigned to the train. These 3-compartment, 2-drawing room observations became famous in the Pullman fleet as the most modern and luxurious equipment available and were also operated on

12000-401: The picket lines. The Rock Island ground to a halt. The Ingram management team operated as much of the Rock Island as they could. Trains slowly began to move, with more traffic being hauled every week of the strike. President Jimmy Carter issued a back-to-work order that BRAC dismissed. Still more traffic flowed on the strikebound Rock Island. According to Ingram, "by the end of the sixth week,

12125-424: The plan. Grain shuttles that had no cabooses at the end of their trains became a cost-effective way to gain market share and help finance the plan internally. Nevertheless, new and rebuilt locomotives arrived on the property in gleaming powder blue and white to replace some of the tired, filthy power. Track rebuild projects covered the system. Main lines that had seen little or no maintenance in years were pulled from

12250-519: The proposed Metra SouthEast Service would terminate at LaSalle if built. CTA ChicaGo Dash Chicago and Rock Island Railroad The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad ( CRI&P RW , sometimes called Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway ) ( reporting marks CRI&P , RI , ROCK ) was an American Class I railroad . It was also known as the Rock Island Line , or, in its final years, The Rock . At

12375-466: The railroad's largest workshop, sitting on a 900-acre site between the railroad's main line and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad ’s Rock Island branch. After the closing in 1980, the workshop was sold to National Railway Equipment , and it remained a maintenance and refurbishment hub for the wider North American railroad industry. NRE sold the facility to the RRHMA in late 2021, and plans call for

12500-489: The red and silver paint scheme was discontinued, the names were gradually removed from the Southern Pacific cars and replaced by numbers. Also, the Golden State lettering in the letterboards of the Southern Pacific cars was replaced by Southern Pacific lettering written inside a red stripe and the train name was featured in a logo in the center of the car (like on the Sunset Limited). The Rock Island however retained

12625-401: The refurbishment of the facility to maintain steam, heritage diesel and associated rolling stock, in addition to developing a museum on the site. In 2017, thirty-seven years after the Rock Island folded, a new startup company that owns the rights to the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific name began operating in the southern United States. The new Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad LLC

12750-513: The rest of the year, the same schedules were known as the California Limited westbound and Chicago-St. Louis Limited eastbound. The Golden State Limited was for Pullman passengers only, while the California Limited also carried tourist (economy) sleeping cars and coaches. The Golden State Limited (or California Limited in the off season) carried numbers 43 and 44 until mid-1907 when it became numbers 3 and 4. After January 1910

12875-536: The reverse direction. The Golden State had the same declining passenger revenues as other trains in the 1950s and 1960s, although service was not downgraded severely as on other trains. A sleeping car and grill/lounge or dining car was always included. The train was combined with Southern Pacific's New Orleans to Los Angeles Sunset Limited west of El Paso after April 1964. The final Golden State ran on April 8, 1968, after which service ceased. Amtrak's Sunset Limited between Los Angeles and New Orleans uses

13000-514: The scrapyard. With the 1980 end of the Rock Island, the RTA purchased the suburban territory and remaining Rock Island commuter equipment from the estate, while the Chicago and North Western Railway took over operations for a year before the RTA began operating it directly in 1981. LaSalle Street Station was torn down and replaced with the Chicago Stock Exchange building, with a smaller commuter station located one block south of

13125-480: The second day. The return trip left Los Angeles at 11:30 am arriving in Chicago at 11:30 am the second morning. In July 1954 it left Chicago at 2:15 pm CST and arrived Los Angeles the second day at 7:30 am. The return trip left Los Angeles at 1:30 pm and arrived the second day at 9:55 am. In later years the arrival in Phoenix, for example, was late in the evening. Pullman passengers on the Phoenix setout could stay in

13250-427: The service to keep it running. The track program of 1978 helped with main-line timekeeping, although the Rock Island's management decreed that the two trains were not to delay freight traffic on the route. By this time, both once-proud trains were down to just two coaches, powered by EMD E8 locomotives entering their second decade of service. With the trains frequently running with as many paying passengers as coaches in

13375-410: The service, the Rock Island hired National Association of Railroad Passengers founder Anthony Haswell as managing director of passenger services. The last two trains plied the Rock Island's Illinois Division as the track quality declined from 1971 through 1977. The transit times, once a speedy 2½ hours in the 1950s, had lengthened to a 4½ hour run by 1975. The State of Illinois continued to subsidize

13500-599: The state of Illinois through the Regional Transportation Authority . Operating funds were disbursed to all commuter operators, and the Rock Island was to be provided with new equipment to replace the tired 2700 series and Capone cars. New Budd bilevels that were near copies of the 1961 Milwaukee Road cars arrived in 1978. New EMD F40PH units arrived in late 1977 and, in summer, 1978, briefly could be seen hauling Capone cars. The Rock Island's commuter F and E units were relegated to freight service or

13625-427: The steamboat Effie Afton ran into the Rock Island's Mississippi River Bridge. The steamboat was overcome by a fire, which also destroyed a span of the bridge. This accident caused a series of court cases. In one of the cases, Abraham Lincoln , a lawyer at the time, represented the Rock Island. Lincoln argued that not only was the steamboat at fault in striking the bridge, but that bridges across navigable rivers were to

13750-604: The system was Chicago, and the system also reached Memphis, Tennessee . To the west, it reached Denver, Colorado , and Santa Rosa, New Mexico . Southernmost reaches were to Galveston, Texas , and Eunice, Louisiana , while in a northerly direction, the Rock Island got as far as Minneapolis, Minnesota . Major lines included Minneapolis to Kansas City, Missouri , via Des Moines, Iowa ; St. Louis, Missouri Meta, Missouri , to Santa Rosa via Kansas City; Herington, Kansas , to Galveston, Texas , via Fort Worth, Texas , and Dallas, Texas ; and Santa Rosa to Memphis. The heaviest traffic

13875-683: The three Rock Island mail-baggage cars 802-804 would be an entirely streamlined Golden State consist. All other options featured one or two heavyweight cars, which is why the Golden State could actually never be considered a full streamliner train. That possible combination of having at least one fully streamlined consist out of five was made impossible in late 1950 and early 1951 when the Southern Pacific started to assign four red and silver painted heavyweight ex baggage-horse cars now converted to mail-storage cars numbered 4300-4303. Rock Island also provided two 1947 built corrugated side baggage cars (numbers 852 and 853) as mail-storage cars during that time. So now

14000-508: The train beginning in 1942. Later that year 4-4-2 sleepers from the discontinued Arizona Limited and Treasure Island Special were also assigned ( Imperial Clipper , Imperial Guard , Imperial Throne and Imperial Banner ). These cars wore only numbers as the RI/SP did not name their cars until after World War II (and then only for a short time). Streamlined 44 and 48 reclining seat leg-rest (long-distance) low-capacity chair cars from both

14125-424: The train, Illinois withdrew its subsidy, and the two trains made their final runs on December 31, 1978. The Rock Island also operated an extensive commuter train service in the Chicago area. The primary route ran from LaSalle Street Station to Joliet along the main line, and a spur line, known as the "Suburban Line" to Blue Island . The main-line trains supplanted the long-distance services that did not stop at

14250-434: The unique and partially handmade decorations and interiors of El Café , El Comedor and La Mirada were heavily promoted in advertising but the chance that one of these unique cars was part of a Golden State consist was only one in five, which basically resulted in all five consists having unique compositions. After World War II and until 1953 all cars in the train had names, mostly beginning with Golden . After 1953, when

14375-489: The week immediately preceding the order than during any week in its history. The ICC issued a Directed Service Order authorizing the Kansas City Terminal Railway to take over operations. The Directed Service Order enabled one-time suitors, via KCT management, to basically test operate portions of the Rock Island that had once interested them. On January 24, 1980, Judge McGarr elected to not review

14500-495: Was a named passenger train between Chicago and Los Angeles from 1902–1968 on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (“Rock Island”) and the Southern Pacific Company (SP) and predecessors. It was named for California, the “Golden State”. The Golden State route was relatively low-altitude, crossing the Continental Divide at about 4,600 feet (1,400 m) near Lordsburg, New Mexico , although

14625-424: Was acquired by the Iowa Interstate Railroad . Gibbons was released from the Rock Island on June 1, 1984, after its estate expired. With all assets sold and all debt retired, the Rock Island found itself with a large infusion of cash. The name of the company was changed to Chicago Pacific Corporation to further distance itself from the defunct railroad. Its first purchase was vacuum maker Hoover Company . In 1988,

14750-509: Was also re-equipped with streamlined equipment in 1948. As the Rocky Mountain Rocket was downgraded due to nonrail competition, the route traveled by the train was gradually shortened from 1966 onward. Its western terminus was cut back first to Omaha, then to Council Bluffs. After briefly running without a name, it was renamed The Cornhusker . Finally, in 1970, the train was cut back to a Chicago-Rock Island run entirely within

14875-459: Was built by American Car & Foundry as hospital car for the US Army in 1944 and was painted red and silver in 1947, and in 1949 a newly built lightweight smooth side baggage dormitory car numbered 3100. With only five baggage dormitory cars available for the five Golden State consists, the Rock Island soon painted heavyweight baggage dormitory 6013 into the red and silver scheme and assigned it as

15000-424: Was completed in 1900 to Amarillo, Texas, and to Tucumcari, after purchase by the Rock Island, by 1902. Over the years connections were made with through sleeping cars from Memphis and Little Rock to Los Angeles, generally connecting with the Golden State . The Rock Island actually owned the rail line to Santa Rosa, New Mexico, 59 miles (95 km) south of Tucumcari, but since the routes intersected at Tucumcari, this

15125-552: Was inaugurated on November 2, 1902, as the Golden State Limited between Chicago, Kansas City , El Paso , southern Arizona and Los Angeles. At 2,762 miles (4,445 km) it had the longest route in the United States and second only to the Canadian Pacific Railway 's Imperial Limited in North America. Until 1910 the Golden State Limited was seasonal, generally running December to April or May;

15250-488: Was incorporated in Illinois on February 27, 1847, and an amended charter was approved on February 7, 1851, as the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. Construction began in Chicago on October 1, 1851, and the first train was operated on October 10, 1852, between Chicago and Joliet . Construction continued on through La Salle , and Rock Island was reached on February 22, 1854, becoming the first railroad to connect Chicago with

15375-527: Was on the Chicago-to-Rock Island and Rock Island-to-Muscatine lines. In common with most American railroad companies, the Rock Island once operated an extensive passenger service. The primary routes served were: Chicago-Los Angeles, Chicago-Denver, Memphis-Little Rock-Oklahoma City- Tucumcari , and Minneapolis-Dallas. The Rock Island ran both limited and local service on those routes, as well as locals on many other lines on its system. In 1937,

15500-500: Was the former New York Central observation car Hickory Creek , a car built for the 20th Century Limited , which hadn't been to the station since December 3, 1967. Of note, the Hickory Creek was the last car on the final run of the 20th Century Limited to leave LaSalle on December 3, 1967. LaSalle was a terminal for the following lines and intercity trains: Among the most famous name trains that terminated at LaSalle were

15625-548: Was viewed as an unmanageable and far too radical solution to both the granger railroad issue and the larger issue of the future of rail freight transportation in general. The visionary plan would not be realized until the megamergers of the 1990s with the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific remaining as the two surviving major rail carriers west of the Mississippi. Now set free and adrift, both operationally and financially,

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