Here’s another condensed timetable that, like the one from 1958, manages to compress four of the 20 pages of the standard timetable into just two pages, and leaves most everything else out. This one removes some white space from the 1958 edition to squeeze in a schedule of trains from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. Rock Island offered through cars from Minneapolis to L.A. that transferred between the Twin Star Rocket and Golden State, but didn’t bother to include the schedule in 1958.

Click image to download an 1.8-MB PDF of this 2-page timetable.

Missing from both the 1958 and 1962 condensed timetables was Rock Island’s passenger service to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This consisted of a mixed train from Cedar Rapids Yard to Estherville, Iowa, connecting with another mixed train from Estherville to Sioux Falls. Since the latter train went through a corner of Minnesota, Rock Island would have needed permission from three different states to discontinue it, so kept it running with a minimum of service. Continue reading →

As with yesterday’s timetable, this one has no major changes but it does have some minor tinkering in the schedules. Fifteen minutes have been added to the schedule of train #9, the southbound Corn Belt Rocket, between Minneapolis and Omaha. The northbound schedule of the same train was unchanged.

Click image to download an 13.0-MB PDF of this 20-page timetable.

Ten minutes were added to the schedule of the southbound Zephyr Rocket and 25 minutes to the northbound train between Minneapolis and St. Louis. All of the addition was on the Burlington portion of the route. Continue reading →

The schedules on this timetable are pretty similar to those on the April 1958 edition with the exception of the disappearance of trains 11 & 12. While there must be some minor changes, the only major change I can find is the paper it is printed on.

Click image to download an 12.1-MB PDF of this 20-page timetable.

The 1958 and earlier timetables were printed on white paper that, while thin, was fairly good quality. This 1959 timetable is printed on a lower-quality newsprint and has severely yellowed. Many other railroads used similar newsprint in the 1950s, including Northern Pacific, Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific, while Missouri Pacific and Great Northern used a higher-quality paper that was also heavier. The downgrade in the quality of paper in this Rock Island timetable is one more attempt to save money in the face of declining ridership.

At first glance, this timetable appears to be exactly like the one presented yesterday: 20 pages long with almost no ads but still lots of trains. However, a few trains have disappeared.

Click image to download an 11.7-MB PDF of this 20-page timetable.

The 1957 timetable gives travelers a choice of two trains a day between Minneapolis and St. Louis: the Zephyr Rocket and an unnamed train. The unnamed train (or trains, as the timetable shows four different train numbers, which meant at least some passengers had to change trains three times) didn’t sound terribly enticing as for part of the distance it was a mixed train carrying both passengers and freight. It was off the 1958 timetable. Continue reading →

A full-page ad on the inside back cover of this timetable celebrates Rock Island Line, which became a hit song in 1955. According to Wikipedia, the first version of this song was written in 1929 and performed by members of the Rock Island Colored Booster Quartet, a groups of Rock Island employees in Little Rock. The song was first recorded being performed by inmates at an Arkansas prison in 1934 and was later covered by Lead Belly and Odetta, among others.

Click image to download an 20.3-MB PDF of this 36-page timetable.

All of the above performers were black, and as was typical of the times the song didn’t become a hit until it was recorded by a white, specifically a Scottish musician named Lonnie Donegan. This timetable ad pictures a 45 record with Donegan’s name. Continue reading →