Trains are listed in order of time scheduled, with "am" and "pm" omitted except where necessary for clarity.
Origin and destination cities are as of 1942. Many trains had their routes shortened between then and 1971.
Train numbers continued from 1942 through 1971, unless assigned new numbers, preceding the 1956 times or 1971 times.
Train names were as of 1942. For certain trains in 1942 without names, the 1956 names are listed.
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 21 Morning Zephyr Minneapolis 9:00 8:15 7 8:00 11 Nebraska Zephyr Lincoln 9:30 11:59 9 Coloradoan Denver 9:30 19 11:20 45 Minneapolis 10:20 8:30 pm 35 Kansas City Zephyr Kansas City 12:30 39 Exposition Flyer San Francisco 12:35 17 3:30 23 Afternoon Zephyr Minneapolis 3:30 4:15 9 12:30 33 Clinton IA 3:52 1 Denver Zephyr Denver 5:30 5:00 4:45 5 Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr Lincoln 6:00 3 11:00 pm 15 Fast Mail Lincoln 9:00 6:15 pm 47 Black Hawk Minneapolis 10:00 11:10 55 Amer. Royal Zephyr Kansas City 10:00 19 9:30 3 Denver 10:30 7 11:55 51 North Coast Limited Seattle 11:00 25 11:30 am 49 Empire Builder Seattle 11:15 31 2:00 pmArrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 48 Black Hawk Minneapolis 7:30 7:55 56 Amer. Royal Zephyr Kansas City 7:30 20 5:30 30 Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr Lincoln 8:00 7:45 32 Mendota 8:22 14 8:33 10 Denver Zephyr Denver 8:38 9:00 2 9:50 44 Empire Builder Seattle 8:40 32 2:00 50 North Coast Limited Seattle 8:45 26 1:45 40 Exposition Flyer San Francisco 8:55 18 1:00 4 Burlington 11:35 2 11:45 22 Morning Zephyr Minneapolis 2:40 2:40 8 3:15 52 Minneapolis 8:10 9:05 am 12 Nebraska Zephyr Lincoln 8:15 8:45 8:40 6 Coloradoan Denver 8:30 7:35 36 Kansas City Zephyr Kansas City 8:00 24 Afternoon Zephyr Minneapolis 10:45 10:15 10 11:15Trains 17-18, the California Zephyr, replaced the Exposition Flyer in 1949.
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 19 Ann Rutledge St. Louis 8:15 8:25 11 St. Louis 8:30 1 Alton Limited St. Louis 11:25 11:40 11:10 173 (Sat. only) Joliet 1:30 3 Abraham Lincoln St. Louis 4:50 4:50 5:10 15 Bloomington 5:20 17 Joliet 5:50 4:15 5:25 5 Mail St. Louis 6:45 8:00 7 Fast Mail St. Louis 11:30 9 Midnight Special St. Louis 11:59 7 11:25 5 11:25Arrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 8 Fast Mail St. Louis 6:30 16 Joliet 7:35 6:35 7:35 10 Midnight Special St. Louis 7:45 8 7:00 6 5:30 14 Bloomington 10:15 22 Hummer Kansas City 11:45 2 Abraham Lincoln St. Louis 2:08 2:08 2:18 4 Alton Limited St. Louis 5:45 5:15 9:30 6 Prairie State Exp. St. Louis 9:30 5:00 18 Ann Rutledge St. Louis 9:40 9:40Trains 16 and 17 were commuter trains.
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 308 South Wind Miami 8:20 90 8:45 8:00 8 Red Bird Detroit 9:15 52 New Yorker New York 9:30 8:30 216 Fort Hayes Cincinnati 9:45 70 9:30 66 10:25 22 Manhattan Limited New York 11:30 11:30 10:45 460 (Sat. only) Valparaiso 12:35 208 Union Cincinnati 12:50 72 2:30 76 Trail Blazer New York 1:30 70 Admiral New York 2:30 50 6:30 pm 6:15 58 Liberty Limited Washington 3:20 3:00 pm 48 General New York 3:30 3:30 pm 4 Detroit Arrow Fort Wayne 4:15 28 Broadway Limited New York 4:30 4:00 48 4:05 454 Valparaiso 4:35 4:05 5:05 42 Rainbow Philadelphia 5:00 78 Pennsylvanian New York 5:30 456 Valparaiso 5:32 4:40 5:40 2 Pennsylvania Limited New York 8:00 54 10:30 10:15 236 Buckeye Cincinnati 9:20 54 Gotham Limited New York 10:15 62 Golden Triangle Pittsburgh 11:00 110 Ohioan Columbus 11:10 84 10:45 306 Kentuckian Louisville 11:30 200 Southland Cincinnati 11:40 74 11:10 12 Mid City Express Detroit 11:50 44 Pittsburgh 11:59 118 Pittsburgh 12:45Arrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 237 Buckeye Cincinnati 5:30 15 Philadelphia 6:45 453 Valparaiso 7:05 6:05 7:05 109 Ohioan Columbus 7:15 85 6:30 307 Kentuckian Louisville 7:25 201 Southland Cincinnati 7:30 75 7:00 63 Golden Triangle Pittsburgh 7:40 5 Pennsylvania Limited New York 7:45 55 3:51 pm 3:25 pm 455 Valparaiso 8:10 6:50 am 7:50 am 71 Admiral New York 8:20 51 1:00 pm 49 General New York 8:40 7:15 am 59 Liberty Limited Washington 8:50 9:00 29 Broadway Limited New York 9:00 7:45 49 8:55 77 Trail Blazer New York 9:25 23 Manhattan Limited New York 12:20 6:20 am 7:40 1 Chicago Arrow Fort Wayne 12:25 215 Fort Hayes Cincinnati 3:25 71 2:10 65 3:00 79 Golden Arrow New York 4:40 43 Fort Pitt Pittsburgh 7:00 53 8:10 8:20 207 Union Cincinnati 8:00 73 9:20 7 Red Bird Detroit 8:45 309 South Wind Miami 9:05 93 7:20 8:00 113 Pittsburgh 12:45Trains between Chicago and Miami did not operate daily. From 1940 through 1956, the three main trains between these points operated every third day. In addition to the South Wind, the City of Miami used the Illinois Central out of Central Station, and the Dixie Flagler used the Chicago & Eastern Illinois out of Dearborn Station. In 1957, the Dixie Flagler was discontinued, and the City of Miami and the South Wind went to alternate day operation. And in 1971, Amtrak discontinued the City of Miami, retaining the South Wind, later renamed the Floridian, for daily service.
After 1968 Penn Central merger, remaining New York Central trains transferred from La Salle St. Station to Union Station.
Trains 453 through 460 to and from Valparaiso were commuter trains.
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 27 Milwaukee 8:10 8:15 8:55 29 Milwaukee 9:10 17 Varsity Madison 9:15 117 9:15 9:30 5 Morning Hiawatha Minneapolis 9:45 9:30 10:30 103 Midwest Hiawatha Omaha 12:45 21 Chippewa Ontonagon 12:50 101 Afternoon Hiawatha Minneapolis 1:00 3 1:00 23 Traveler Milwaukee 3:45 3:30 4:20 111 City of Denver Denver C&NW 4:30 105 City of Portland Portland C&NW 4:45 19 Green Bay 5:15 7 Milwaukee 6:30 5:45 101 City of S. Francisco San Francisco C&NW 6:30 103 City of Los Angeles Los Angeles C&NW 6:45 6:00 11 Sioux Rapid City 6:55 8:55 6:30 107 Arrow Omaha 7:20 19 5:50 9 Copper Country Ltd. Calumet 7:30 7:45 7:25 51 Milwaukee 9:15 1 Pioneer Limited Minneapolis 10:15 11:00 3 Marquette Mason City 10:45 15 Olympian Tacoma 11:15 3:00 pm 55 Minneapolis 1:15 1:30Arrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 56 Fast Mail Minneapolis 6:30 5:15 5:00 2 Copper Country Ltd. Calumet 6:55 4 Pioneer Limited Minneapolis 8:10 7:45 22 Sioux Sioux Falls 8:15 9:55 10:05 112 City of Denver Denver C&NW 8:45 108 Arrow Omaha 8:40 20 8:50 16 Olympian Tacoma 8:55 1:45 pm 24 Traveler Milwaukee 9:00 9:05 9:20 12 Milwaukee 9:50 11:05 1:00 10 Green Bay 11:00 104 City of Los Angeles Los Angeles C&NW 11:00 12:40 102 City of S. Francisco San Francisco C&NW 11:15 106 City of Portland Portland C&NW 11:30 20 Varsity Madison 11:35 118 7:50 pm 8:45 28 Madison-Mke 1:15 6 Morning Hiawatha Minneapolis 2:50 2:40 3:40 46 Milwaukee 5:15 5:25 5:50 100 Afternoon Hiawatha Minneapolis 7:15 2 7:15 18 Marquette Mason City 7:40 102 Midwest Hiawatha Omaha 8:35 14 Chippewa Ontonagon 9:30 9:40 58 Milwaukee 10:25 10:30 8 Milwaukee 11:45In 1955, trains operating via Union Pacific west of Omaha were transferred from the Chicago & North Western Railroad to the Milwaukee Road, between Chicago Union Station and Omaha.