Lone Star (Amtrak)

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The Lone Star was an Amtrak train route serving Chicago, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Houston and intermediate points.

Amtrak train numbers: 15 and 16

When the Santa Fe Railway stopped allowing Amtrak to use its "Chief" trademark in 1974, the Chicago-Houston Texas Chief was renamed the Lone Star. Nothing else about the train changed, including the fact that it operated separately from the Southwest Limited (formerly the Super Chief) between the route shared by both trains, from Chicago to Newton, Kansas.

Due to budget cuts, the Lone Star was discontinued in 1979, leaving Oklahoma without Amtrak train service. Chicago-Houston service continued in the form of a section of the Chicago-Laredo Inter-American that split from the train in Temple, Texas.

Oklahoma service on the Lone Star's former route was reinstated in 1999, when the Heartland Flyer was inaugurated between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth.

Condensed historical timetables:

READ DOWN                  READ UP
(1975)                     (1975)
 5:00P Dp Chicago       Ar 12:45P
 1:00A    Kansas City       4:50A
 9:00A    Oklahoma City     8:40P
 1:35P    Fort Worth        4:10P
 7:55P Ar Houston       Dp  9:50A