Lone Star (passenger train)
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| Texas Chief | |
| Info | |
|---|---|
| Type | Inter-city rail |
| System | Amtrak |
| Terminals | Chicago to Houston, Texas |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1 May 1971 |
| Closed | 1974 |
| Owner | AT&SF (track) |
| Operator(s) | Amtrak |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 1368 miles (2201 km) |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) |
| Lone Star | |
| Info | |
|---|---|
| Type | Inter-city rail |
| System | Amtrak |
| Terminals | Chicago to Houston, Texas |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1974 |
| Closed | 9 October 1979 |
| Owner | AT&SF (track) |
| Operator(s) | Amtrak |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 1368 miles (2201 km) |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) |
The Lone Star was an Amtrak passenger train serving Chicago, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Houston and intermediate points. From Amtrak's inception in 1971 until May of 1974, the train was known as the Texas Chief, as it had been under the Santa Fe Railway. The name change was prompted by the AT&SF's determination that Amtrak's trains no longer met its service standards and so required Amtrak to stop using the Chief name. The Lone Star name was first used by the St. Louis Southwestern Railway for a passenger train operating between St. Louis, Memphis and Dallas. The original Lone Star was discontinued in 1952.
Contents |
[edit] Route
The original Texas Chief's route ran from Chicago, Illinois, to Galveston, Texas via Kansas City, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, and Houston until early 1967, when the train's run was truncated in Houston. From 1955 until 1968, a section would cut off near Denton, Texas to serve Dallas. During the 1970s, Amtrak also ran a Fort Worth-Dallas connecting section.
[edit] History
The original Texas Chief was inaugurated as a coach and Pullman train on April 3, 1948.[1]
At Amtrak's inception, the Texas Chief operated Chicago-Houston. It inherited the Hi-level (bilevel) chair cars from the former San Francisco Chief, which had been discontinued at that same time.[2] The train operated separately from the Super Chief (renamed the Southwest Limited in 1974 and now known as the Southwest Chief) along their shared route from Chicago to Newton, Kansas.
A number of colleges and universities along the route -- including the University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Wichita State University, University of Oklahoma -- provided students looking for economical transportation.
[edit] Amtrak cutbacks of 1979
Due to cuts ordered by the US Department of Transportation, Amtrak's Lone Star -- along with several other popular trains -- was discontinued on October 9, 1979. At the time of its discontinuance, the train was ranked as Amtrak's 7th most popular long-distance train[citation needed]. Chicago-Houston service continued in the form of a section of the Chicago-Laredo Inter-American that split from the train in Temple, Texas. This left Oklahoma without passenger rail service.
[edit] Current status of route
In 1999, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation contracted with Amtrak to run the Oklahoma City to Fort Worth Heartland Flyer. The train provides connecting service at Fort Worth to Amtrak's Texas Eagle.
Of the original Texas Chief/Lone Star route, only sections from Newton, Kansas, to Oklahoma City, and Temple, Texas to Houston and Galveston remain without passenger train service in 2007.
[edit] Condensed historical timetable
READ DOWN READ UP 4:30P Dp Chicago, Ill Ar Ar 10:25A 12:15A Kansas City, Kans 2:10A 2:00A Topeka 12:45A 8:30A Oklahoma City, Okla 5:55P 12:55P Fort Worth, Texas 1:35P 3:43P Temple 11:12A 7:45P Ar Houston Dp 7:10A[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Bryant, Jr., Keith L. (1974). History of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. University of Nebraska Press (Reprint), 350. ISBN 0803260660.
- ^ "Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Timetables" (June 1971). The Official Guide of the Railways 104 (1): 428–440. New York, N.Y.: National Railway Publication Company.
- ^ , Amtrak National Train Timetables Effective July 30, 1978, National Railroad Passenger Corporation, 1978-07-30.
