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Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Heraldjpg
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RI, ROCK
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Arkansas , Colorado , Illinois , Iowa , Kansas , Louisiana , Minnesota , Missouri , Nebraska , New Mexico , Oklahoma , South Dakota , Tennessee , and Texas
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October 10 , 1852
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March 31 , 1980
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The was a
Class I Railroad in the
United States . It was also known as the '''Rock Island Line''', or, in its final years, '''THE ROCK'''. Its ancestor, the '''Chicago and Rock Island Railroad''', was incorporated on
February 7 ,
1851 and operated its first train on
October 10 ,
1852 , between
Chicago and
Rock Island, Illinois .
Once an acquisition target of the
Union Pacific Railroad , the company went into
Receivership for its third and final
Bankruptcy in
1975 . Attempts to reorganize failed, and the ICC ordered the
Kansas City Terminal railway to take over operations of the Rock Island in August 1979 after a clerk strike. On
March 31 ,
1980 , the bankruptcy court ruled that the Rock Island could not be successfully reorganized and ordered its liquidation, the largest such liquidation in U.S. history.
The Rock Island stretched across
Colorado ,
Illinois ,
Iowa ,
Kansas ,
Missouri ,
Nebraska ,
New Mexico ,
Oklahoma and
Texas . The easternmost reach of the system was
Chicago , and the system also reached
Memphis, Tennessee ; west, it reached
Denver, Colorado , and
Santa Rosa, New Mexico . Southernmost reaches were to
Galveston, Texas , and
Eunice, Louisiana while in a northerly direction the Rock Island got as far as
Minneapolis, Minnesota .
, passes through
Blue Island, Illinois , in July,
1975 .]]
Major lines included Minneapolis to
Kansas City, Missouri , via
Des Moines, Iowa ;
St. Louis, Missouri , to Santa Rosa via Kansas City;
Herington, Kansas , to
Galveston, Texas , via
Fort Worth, Texas , and
Dallas, Texas ; and Santa Rosa to Memphis. The heaviest traffic was on the Chicago-to-Rock Island and Rock Island-to-Muscatine lines.
The system got its start in Chicago and was a major player in the Iowa railroad industry.
The Rock Island jointly operated the ''
Golden State Limited '' (Chicago—Kansas City—Tucumcari—El Paso—Los Angeles) with the
Southern Pacific Railroad from
1902 –
1968 . The name was shortened to the ''
Golden State '' after
1948 's modernization.
The railroad operated a number of trains known as ''Rockets'' serving the Midwest, including the ''
Rocky Mountain Rocket '' (Chicago—Omaha—Lincoln—Denver—Colorado Springs), the ''
Corn Belt Rocket '' (Chicago—Des Moines—Omaha), the ''
Twin Star Rocket '' (Minneapolis—St. Paul—Des Moines—Kansas City—Oklahoma City—Fort Worth—Dallas—Houston), the ''
Zephyr Rocket '' (Minneapolis—St. Paul—Burlington—St. Louis) and the ''
Choctaw Rocket '' (Memphis—Little Rock—Oklahoma City—Amarillo).
The Rock Island did not join
Amtrak on its formation in 1971, and continued to operate its own passenger trains. After concluding that the cost of joining would be the same as operating the two remaining intercity roundtrips (the Chicago-Peoria ''Peoria Rocket'' and the Chicago-Rock Island ''Quad Cities Rocket''), the railroad decided to "perform a public service for the state of Illinois" and continue intercity passenger operations. Both trains were discontinued on December 31, 1978.
units acquired by the
Missouri Pacific Railroad when the Rock Island shut down in
1980 , and became MoPac #2278.]]
A song called ''The Rock Island Line'' memorializes the railroad. Versions were recorded by
Johnny Cash ,
Johnny Horton ,
Huddie Ledbetter ,
The Weavers ,
Lonnie Donegan and many other artists, including a parody version by
Stan Freberg . The chorus to the old song reads:
- (1973). ''Handy Railroad Atlas of the United States''. Rand McNally & Co. p.53.
