While most of the front-cover ads on Rock Island timetables presented here in the last nine days have featured the Golden State, this one advertises a Rocket — and not just any Rocket but the Jet Rocket, whose Aerotrain-like locomotive was designed to look like a jet. Unlike the Aerotrain, whose cars were manufactured by General Motors, the Jet Rocket‘s cars were made by American Car & Foundry.

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The Jet Rocket started service on February 11, 1956, which was the day before this timetable went into effect. The train traveled two round-trips a day between Chicago and Peoria, making the 161-mile trip in 2-1/2 hours for an average speed of 64 mph. Like the other ultra-lightweight trains introduced in 1956, the Jet Rocket proved unpopular with passengers and after less than two years Rock Island cut it back to the 40-mile route between Chicago and Joliet.