The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, Route of the Rockets!

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, better known as simply the Rock Island was a legend even during its own time (the railroad even had a song named after it!). And perhaps this is what makes it’s ending so depressing. For all of the railroad’s fame and recognition, this did not translate into wealth and power. Several times throughout the railroad’s history it would go into receivership, its last in 1975 when it would be liquidated five years later in 1980.

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad had its earliest beginnings in the 1840s as the Rock Island & La Salle Railroad Company, commissioned to connect Rock Island, Illinois with the Illinois & Michigan Canal at La Salle, Illinois. The railroad soon understood that greater profits would be gained by connecting directly to Chicago instead of via the canal. With state authorization in 1851 the work began and the next year the railroad was renamed to the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad.

However, the railroad’s grid is a factor that would haunt it throughout its history. While it served most of the largest cities in the nation’s Heartland, stretching between the Midwest and southwest, unfortunately it was the most circuitous allowing competitors with much more direct routes to out compete the Rock Island for traffic such as the Union Pacific and Santa Fe. Perhaps what made the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad most celebrated was its streamlined passenger train fleet known as Rockets. Adorned in both a red, yellow, and white, and red, maroon, and silver livery; the trains were pulled by new Electro-Motive streamlined diesels. Soon after debuting these trains quickly became renowned for both their looks and high speed.

However, even with an eye-catching and famous passenger train coupled with a number of aggressive management teams over the years, the railroad’s very network continued to haunt it. The Rock Island’s days were not good as traffic retreated after World War II. This traffic loss was a result of competing railroads and the emergence of the Interstate highway system.

After the Union Pacific declined its offer to purchase the Rock Island the railroad continued operating for the next few years as management desperately tried to improve the railroad’s situation, even going so far as applying a new sky blue and white image known as “The Rock” and embargoing lines that were earning few profits. The end for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad came in the late 1970s when a labor dispute and resulting strike literally shutdown the company as it was unable to move freight.

The argument of who was at fault over the strike, management or part of the workforce (although not all), continues even today although factors seem to point to it being a combination of the latter and political forces. However, what cannot be disputed is that the railroad was actually pulling out of its financial mess, which was caused by the ongoing merger discussions, prior to the strike; freight trains were steadily improving their transit times and what maintenance/upgrades could be done to the physical plant was being performed. Furthermore, the Rock Island needed to cut the salaries of the workers to further help the company get back on its feet. However, with the clerk's union not accepting such a cut and an unsympathetic judge, the Rock Island was doomed. For more reading about the final days from someone who was there please click here.

The result of this along with the railroad’s precarious financial and physical condition proved fatal. In perhaps one the most disheartening and rare cases that ever results in our nation’s rail industry, courts ordered in early 1980 that the railroad be shutdown and liquidated and its remaining assets sold off to nearby railroads. And thus ended the story of one of our country’s most popular railroads, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific.

Today, one happy note about the railroad is that while it was considered to be the most circuitous and having the worst routes throughout the Midwest and southwest, ironically many of its lines continue to be operated today, a number of which are quite important and see more traffic now than they ever did at any point during the Rock Island’s ownership (for instance, even Class Is like Union Pacific operate some ex-Rock Island lines). Not bad for a railroad that was shrugged off by most during its final days of operation!

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For an all-time diesel locomotive roster of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad please click here. Also, for an excellent listing of EMD-built diesel locomotives, including those owned by the CRI&P please click here. Lastly, please click here to locate preserved Rock Island diesel locomotives.

The American Locomotive Company

The Baldwin Locomotive Works/Lima Locomotive Works

Electro-Motive Corporation/Electro-Motive Division

Fairbanks Morse

General Electric

For a more complete roster of Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific steam locomotives please click here. Also, for information regarding surviving CRI&P steam locomotives please click here.

Notable Rock Island Railroad Passenger Trains

Golden State

Rocky Mountain Rocket

Choctaw Rocket: (Amarillo - Memphis)

Corn Belt Rocket: (Chicago - Omaha)

Des Moines Rocket: (Chicago - Des Moines)

The Imperial: (Chicago - Los Angeles)

Kansas City Rocket: (Minneapolis - Kansas City)

Peoria Rockets: (Chicago - Peoria)

Texas Rocket: Originally served Fort Worth and Houston, although later connected Kansas City and Dallas.

Twin Star Rocket: (Minneapolis - Houston)

Quad City Rocket: (Chicago - Rock Island)

Zephyr Rocket: Connected Minneapolis and St. Louis in conjunction with the CB&Q.

(A deep thanks to the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University for allowing Ron Nixon's historic collection of the Rock Island steam locomotives to be featured here. Please note that the photos featured on this page feature their corresponding image number so that you may quickly and easily find more information about it from their website. To view Ron Nixon's entire collection please click here.)

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