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 of this 36-page timetable.

The front cover ad on this timetable gives equal billing to the Golden State and the Rocky Mountain Rocket. This seems like a mistake: the Golden State served winter vacationers to Arizona and California. The Rocky Mountain Rocket served summer vacationers to the Colorado mountains. Put the Golden State into a fall or winter timetable and let the May timetable focus on the trains to the mountains.