According to Classic Trains magazine, the last Rock Island steam locomotive was retired in December 1953. In anticipation, the railroad introduced a new timetable cover showing Diesels pulling both passenger and freight trains. Click image to download a 19.7-MB PDF … Continue reading
Category Archives: CRI&P
“For complete travel satisfaction,” says the front cover of this timetable, “you can rely on the Rockets. The Golden State and the Rockets were Rock Island’s premiere trains, so since yesterday’s October 1952 timetable advertised the Golden State on its … Continue reading
The front cover of this timetable promotes the “extra fare Golden State” as a “delightful” way of getting to “southern Arizona or California.” As noted here before, the Golden State was slower to California than the City of Los Angeles … Continue reading
In 1951, the Rock Island’s passenger trains were completely Dieselized while it still used both steam and Diesels for hauling its freight trains. At least, that’s the implication of this cover (which is the back cover), which shows multiple Diesels … Continue reading
As previously mentioned here, in 1926 the Santa Fe introduced the Chief, which went between Chicago and Los Angeles in 63 hours, five hours faster than previous trains. The railroad also charged a $10 extra fare (about $175 in today’s … Continue reading
What a difference a few years makes! Since yesterday’s 1931 timetable, whose cover was a throw-back from 1910, the Rock Island had entered the streamlined era, leading to a complete makeover of the railroad and its advertising. The orange cover … Continue reading
The Golden State Limited was still an all-Pullman train when this timetable was issued, a status it would soon lose due to the Depression. In 1932, Southern Pacific would add a chair car between Los Angeles and Phoenix. By 1934, … Continue reading
In the late 1920s, the Rock Island started a Vacation Travel Service Bureau that attempted to compete with Union Pacific and Burlington’s escorted tours by offering unescorted tours whose transportation, accommodations, and meals were fully prepaid in advance. This booklet … Continue reading
Yesterday’s booklet mentioned a “new fast” but as yet unnamed Chicago-Los Angeles train that would be introduced on December 28, 1924, the same day as the Golden State Limited was reequipped with new cars. Actually, the “new” train was the … Continue reading
The purpose of this booklet isn’t entirely clear. The main cover shown below (which, this being the Rock Island, is the back cover) is boring and uninformative. The front cover is the painting of Carriso Gorge by W.H. Bull, which … Continue reading