The Alton’s 1885 timetable was the same format as yesterday’s 1884 timetable, with the same information on most of the same panels. Instead of filling an entire page, the map covers only a little more than two of the 14 panels on the back of the brochure. Two other panels also on the back, one advertising Chicago Union Depot and the other promoting the Alton’s reclining chair cars, have for some reason reversed their positions.

Click image to download a 6.8-MB PDF of this timetable, which is from the David Rumsey map collection.

The big changes between the two timetables are in the actual schedules, which have changed in many ways. In most cases, trains in 1885 were scheduled to take a little longer than 1884, perhaps to increase reliability.

For example, one afternoon train left Chicago a half hour earlier and arrived in Kansas City 50 minutes later in 1885 than in 1884. A night express left St. Louis 15 minutes earlier but arrived in Kansas City 15 minutes later while the day express left Chicago 15 minutes earlier but arrived in St. Louis at the same time in 1885 as in 1884. Similar amounts of time were added to trains in the other directions.