Rocky Mountain Rocket

Rocky Mountain Rocket route[1]
Legend
LaSalle Street Station, Chicago
Englewood
Joliet
Ottawa
La Salle – Peru
Bureau
Moline
Rock Island
Bridge over the Mississippi River Illinois/Iowa border
Davenport
Iowa City
Grinnell
Newton
Des Moines
Atlantic
Council Bluffs
Missouri River Iowa/Nebraska border
Omaha
Lincoln
Fairbury
Nebraska/Kansas border
Union Station, Kansas City, Missouri
Missouri/Kansas border
Kansas City, Kansas
Lawrence
Topeka
McFarland
Manhattan
Clay Center
Clyde
Belleville
Mankato
Smith Center
Phillipsburg
Norton
Colby
Goodland
Kansas/Colorado border
Burlington
Limon
Denver Union Station
Colorado Springs

The Rocky Mountain Rocket was a streamlined passenger train of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Rock Island's train numbers 7 and 8 ran from Chicago's LaSalle Street Station to Denver's Union Station and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Rocket ran from 1939 to 1966; the train was discontinued prior to the creation of Amtrak in 1971.

Contents

Route description

In 1942 the Rocky Mountain Rocket ran on a 19.5 hour schedule from Denver to Chicago. An extra quarter hour was required for the Colorado Springs Section. At Limon, Colorado the Rocky Mountain Rocket was split on its westbound run. The bulk of the train would head northwest to Denver on the Union Pacific's Main Line to Denver, while the rest of the train would head southwest on Rock Island tracks to Colorado Springs. Eastbound, the Rocky Mountain Rocket was combined at Limon for the remainder of its trip to Chicago. A similar split was made in Belleville, Kansas. The eastbound train was split with a section continuing to Union Station, Kansas City, Missouri, while the remainder continued on to Chicago.[1]

Competition and demise

The Rocky Mountain Rocket faced steep competition from a number of sources. Rock Island's primary competition came from the Missouri Pacific's Colorado Eagle, Union Pacific's City of St. Louis, The Union Pacific and Chicago and North Western's City of Denver, and Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy's Denver Zephyr. The Denver Zephyr was the Rocky Mountain Rocket's top competitor where the Burlington Route maintained a much higher market share between Chicago and Denver than the Rock Island. The Rock Island maintained much of its popularity through its Colorado Springs section, which was the only Colorado Springs to Chicago train. All other options required one or more changes at various locations.

Facing steep competition from airlines and a loss of local traffic to interstates, the Rocky Mountain Rocket lost its sleeping and dining cars in July 1965. Snack cars were added to replace the diners and remained in service until the train was discontinued 15 months later. The last train ran on October 16, 1966.

References

  1. ^ a b Timetable Treasury. New York: Wayner Publications. 1979. p. 81. 

See also