AMERICA'S STREAMLINERS
ROCK ISLAND LINES
(POST WW II)
Added to the Rocket fleet after the war were the Corn Belt Rocket, which had the unusual schedule of operating during the daytime eastbound and overnight westbound. The one assigned sleeper operated eastbound via the Rocky Mountain Rocket instead. Also added was the Twin Star Rocket. In 1950, the Golden State finally became a streamliner. A new streamliner had been proposed for the route in 1947, to be known as the "Golden Rocket". But the plan was cancelled, with a single consist having been constructed for ownership by the Rock Island, and cars subsequently assigned to the Golden State. These problems, along with possible lack of agreement between the two railroads involved, resulted in a lack of uniformity for the five required sets of equipment. Rock Island furnished three observation cars, while Southern Pacific furnished two mid train lounge cars for the two other consists. Southern Pacific also furnished five 10 roomette 6 bedroom sleepers, two of which were designed for operation at the rear of the train, for the two consists without observation cars. Also, four consists had a 12 bedroom sleeper, while one consist had a 22 roomette sleeper. Two 12 bedroom sleepers and the 22 roomette sleeper were originally acquired by Rock Island for the Golden Rocket. While Southern Pacific later acquired two more 12 bedroom sleepers.
Only streamlined trains and the most important stations are shown.
October, 1951 #501 #3 #7 #505 #503 #23
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago 10:35 am 1:20 pm 1:55 pm 5:00 pm 7:00 pm 8:05 pm
Peoria 1:10 pm ----- ----- ----- 9:40 pm -----
Rock Island ----- 4:30 pm 4:53 pm 7:53 pm ----- 11:40 pm
Des Moines ----- ----- 7:55 pm 11:00 pm ----- 3:50 am
Omaha ----- ----- 11:06 pm ----- ----- 7:25 am
Phillipsburg ----- ----- 2:35 am ----- ----- -----
Limon ----- ----- 6:51 am ----- ----- -----
Denver ----- ----- 8:25 am ----- ----- -----
Colorado Spr. ----- ----- 8:35 am ----- ----- -----
Kansas City ----- 11:00 pm ----- ----- ----- -----
Herington ----- 2:00 am ----- ----- ----- -----
Liberal ----- 6:40 am ----- ----- ----- -----
Tucumcari ----- 9:30 am ----- ----- ----- -----
El Paso ----- 3:30 pm ----- ----- ----- -----
Douglas ----- 7:00 pm ----- ----- ----- -----
Tucson ----- 9:30 pm ----- ----- ----- -----
Phoenix ----- 11:55 pm ----- ----- ----- -----
Yuma ----- 2:10 am ----- ----- ----- -----
Los Angeles ----- 7:35 am ----- ----- ----- -----
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
October, 1951 #8 #502 #4 #506 #504 #10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles ----- ----- 1:30 pm ----- ----- -----
Yuma ----- ----- 7:35 pm ----- ----- -----
Phoenix ----- ----- 10:35 pm ----- ----- -----
Tucson ----- ----- 12:55 am ----- ----- -----
Douglas ----- ----- 3:25 am ----- ----- -----
El Paso ----- ----- 7:15 am ----- ----- -----
Tucumcari ----- ----- 2:49 pm ----- ----- -----
Liberal ----- ----- 6:08 pm ----- ----- -----
Herington ----- ----- 10:39 pm ----- ----- -----
Kansas City ----- ----- 1:50 am ----- ----- -----
Colorado Spr. 12:45 pm ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Denver 1:00 pm ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Limon 2:40 pm ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Phillipsburg 7:18 pm ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Omaha 11:59 pm ----- ----- ----- ----- 11:30 am
Des Moines 2:46 am ----- ----- 7:15 am ----- 2:15 pm
Rock Island 5:46 am ----- 8:30 am 10:15 am ----- 5:28 pm
Peoria ----- 7:00 am ----- ----- 3:00 pm -----
Chicago 8:50 am 9:40 am 11:45 am 1:15 pm 5:45 pm 8:30 pm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Tucumcari-Los Angeles via Southern Pacific)
GOLDEN STATE (#3-#4)
(required 5 sets/two basic configurations assigned)
(configuration with 3 sets)
Coach Chicago-Los Angeles
Coach Chicago-Los Angeles
Coach Minneapolis-Los Angeles
Coffee Shop Lounge Chicago-Los Angeles
Diner Chicago-Los Angeles
12BR Sleeper Chicago-Los Angeles
10R/6BR Sleeper Chicago-Los Angeles
6S/6R/4BR Sleeper Chicago-Phoenix
6S/6R/4BR Sleeper Minneapolis-Los Angeles
4BR/4C/2DR Sleeper St. Louis-Los Angeles
2BR/1DR Observation Chicago-Los Angeles
(configuration with 2 sets)
Coach Chicago-Los Angeles
Coach Chicago-Los Angeles
Coach Minneapolis-Los Angeles
Coffee Shop Lounge Chicago-Los Angeles
Diner Chicago-Los Angeles
Lounge Chicago-Los Angeles
12BR or 22R Sleeper Chicago-Los Angeles
4BR/4C/2DR Sleeper Chicago-Phoenix
6S/6R/4BR Sleeper Minneapolis-Los Angeles
4BR/4C/2DR Sleeper St. Louis-Los Angeles
10R/6BR Sleeper Chicago-Los Angeles
CARS ASSIGNED TO GOLDEN STATE
Baggage RI 852-853 (PS 1947)
Baggage Mail RI 802-804 (PS 1947)
Baggage Dorm RI 820 (PS 1947)
Baggage Dorm SP 3100 (PS 1949)
48 Seat Coach RI 339-349 (PS 1947)
44 Seat Coach SP 2377-2378 (Budd 1950)
44 Seat Coach SP 2399-2401 (PS 1949)
Coffee Shop Lounge RI 410-412 (PS 1947)
Coffee Shop Lounge SP 10402-10404 (PS 1949)
Diner RI 425-428 (PS 1947)
Diner SP 10206-10208 (PS 1949)
Lounge SP 2984-2985 (PS 1949)
12BR Sleeper RI La Jolla/La Palma (PS 1947)
12BR Sleeper SP Golden Orange/Golden Poppy (PS 1950)
22R Sleeper RI La Costa (PS 1947)
4BR/4C/2DR Sleeper RI La Quinta (PS 1947)
4BR/4C/2DR Sleeper SP 206-216 (PS 1942)
4BR/4C/2DR Sleeper SP 217-220 (PS 1940)
6S/6R/4BR Sleeper SP 500-512 (PS 1942)
10R/6BR Sleeper SP Golden Sun/Golden Crescent/Golden Star (PS 1950)
10R/6BR Sleeper SP Golden Dawn/Golden Wave (PS 1950)
2BR/1DR Observation RI La Mirada/Golden Vista/Golden Divan (PS 1947)
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROCKET (#7-#8)
(required 2 sets)
(sleeping cars built by Pullman-Standard in 1939)
(other cars built by Budd in 1939)
(Additional cars built by Pullman-Standard in 1947)
Baggage 850/851
52 Seat Coach 308 - Dream Lake/310 - Longs Peak
52 Seat Coach 309 - Bear Lake/311 - James Peak
68 Seat Coach 323-338 (from series) (PS 1947)
Dorm Coffee Shop Lounge 375 - Mesa Verde/376 - Pikes Peak (to Col. Spr.)
Diner Lounge 420 - Mount Evans/421 - Centennial
10S/4R Sleeper Odessa Lake/Lawn Lake
8S/2BR/2C Sleeper Garden of the Gods/Grand Mesa (to Col. Spr.)
5BR Buffet Observation Phantom Valley/Thunder Mountain
PEORIA ROCKET (#501-#502-#503-#504)
(required 1 set)
(all cars built by Budd in 1937)
Baggage Dinette 400 - Joliet
60 Seat Coach 306 - Ottawa
76 Seat Coach 300 - La Salle
Parlor Lounge Observation 450 - Peoria
DES MOINES ROCKET (#505-#506)
(required 1 set)
(all cars built by Budd in 1937)
Baggage Dinette 401 - Norman Judd
60 Seat Coach 307 - Grenville Dodge
76 Seat Coach 301 - Henry Farnam
Parlor Lounge Observation 451 - L. M. Allen
CORN BELT ROCKET (#10-#23)
(required 2 sets)
(all cars built by Budd in 1937)
68 Seat Coaches 323-338 (from series)
8DUP/6R/4BR Sleeper Granger/Plainsman (eastbound on #8 instead)
Parlor Diner Observation 456 - Nebraska/457 - Great Lakes
October, 1951 #509 #507 #62
--------------------------------------------
Minneapolis ----- 12:01 pm 5:00 pm
St. Paul ----- 12:25 pm 5:30 pm
Manly ----- 2:43 pm 8:05 pm
Des Moines ----- 5:03 pm -----
Kansas City 9:00 am 9:45 pm -----
Topeka 10:05 am 10:52 pm -----
Wichita 12:44 pm 1:43 am -----
El Reno 3:30 pm 4:30 am -----
Oklahoma City 4:05 pm ----- -----
Fort Worth ----- 8:20 am -----
Dallas ----- 9:25 am -----
Teague ----- 11:11 am -----
Houston ----- 1:35 pm -----
Cedar Rapids ----- ----- 10:50 pm
Burlington ----- ----- 1:35 am
Hannibal ----- ----- 4:37 am
St. Louis ----- ----- 7:58 am
--------------------------------------------
October, 1951 #508 #510 #61
--------------------------------------------
St. Louis ----- ----- 5:00 pm
Hannibal ----- ----- 7:25 pm
Burlington ----- ----- 10:55 pm
Cedar Rapids ----- ----- 1:20 am
Houston 5:00 pm ----- -----
Teague 7:17 pm ----- -----
Dallas 9:10 pm ----- -----
Fort Worth 10:05 pm ----- -----
Oklahoma City ----- 12:01 pm
El Reno 2:03 am 12:45 pm -----
Wichita 4:42 am 3:24 pm -----
Topeka 7:26 am 6:00 pm -----
Kansas City 9:10 am 7:15 pm -----
Des Moines 1:14 pm ----- -----
Manly 3:30 pm ----- 4:13 am
St. Paul 6:00 pm ----- 7:10 am
Minneapolis 6:30 pm ----- 8:00 am
--------------------------------------------
TWIN STAR ROCKET (#507-#508)
(required 3 sets)
68 Seat Coach 323-338 (from series) (PS 1947) (MSP-LA)
68 Seat Coach 323-338 (from series) (PS 1947)
68 Seat Coach 323-338 (from series) (PS 1947)
68 Seat Coach 323-338 (from series) (PS 1947)
Diner 422-424 (Budd 1942)
6S/6R/4BR Sleeper SP 500-512 (from series) (PS 1942) (MSP-LA)
6S/6R/4BR Sleeper ? (Kansas City-Houston)
8DUP/6R/4BR Sleeper Northern Lakes/Gulf Coast/North Woods (PS 1948)
Parlor Lounge Observation 456-458 (PS 1947)
OKLAHOMA ROCKET (#509-#510)
(required 2 sets)
(all cars built by Budd in 1937)
Baggage Dinette 402 - Cherokee Strip /403 - Cimarron River
76 Seat Coach 302 - Sunflower State /303 - Chisholm Trail
Coach Parlor Observation 452 - Lone Star /453 - Sooner State
ZEPHYR ROCKET (#61-#62)
(required 2 sets)
(all lightweight cars built in 1940/RI cars by PS/CB&Q cars by Budd)
(all sleepers and RI baggage cars were heavyweight)
("Silver" cars and "Minneapolis" and "Zephyr Tower" owned by CB&Q)
Baggage Mail 500 /1601 - Silver Mail
Baggage 861 /902 - Silver Express
52 Seat Coach 312 - Waterloo /4709 - Silver Castle
10S/3BR Sleeper Cedar Rapids /Minneapolis
8S/1DR/3BR Sleeper Rocket Tower /Zephyr Tower
Diner Parlor Observation 433 - St. Paul /432 - St. Louis
#51 October, 1951 #52
---------------------------------
9:00 am Memphis 7:05 pm
11:35 am Little Rock 4:30 pm
2:45 pm Booneville 1:24 pm
8:25 pm Shawnee 8:56 am
10:00 pm Oklahoma City 8:00 am
11:00 pm El Reno 6:15 am
2:35 am Sayre 1:42 am
6:30 am Amarillo 9:30 pm
---------------------------------
CHOCTAW ROCKET (#51-#52)
(required 2 sets)
Baggage Mail (heavyweight) /(heavyweight)
68 Seat Divided Coach 350 - Amarillo/351 - Oklahoma City
8S/5BR Sleeper Seminole /Wewoka
Diner Parlor Observation 430 - Memphis /431 - Little Rock