Ann Rutledge (train)

Last updated

Ann Rutledge
Ann Rutledge.jpg
The Ann Rutledge in Springfield, Illinois. A GE Genesis leads the train, with an Amfleet coach and two Horizon Fleet coaches visible. The Illinois Capitol building can be seen over the center car.
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
Locale Midwest United States
First service1937
Last service2009
Successor Missouri River Runner
Former operator(s) Alton Railroad, Amtrak
Route
Termini St. Louis, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Stops9
Distance travelled283 mi (455 km)
Train number(s)313,314
On-board services
Class(es) Business class and reserved coach
Catering facilitiesOn-board café
Technical
Rolling stock Horizon Fleet and Amfleet coaches
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s) Union Pacific Railroad

The Ann Rutledge was a passenger train service operated by Amtrak running between St. Louis, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri, as part of the Missouri Services brand. In 2009 Amtrak consolidated the Ann Rutledge, Kansas City Mule, and the St. Louis Mule under the new name Missouri River Runner .

Contents

History

Pre-Amtrak

The Alton Railroad inaugurated the Ann Rutledge in 1937 as a companion to the Abraham Lincoln over the St. LouisChicago route. The Alton named the train after Ann Rutledge, a woman from New Salem, Illinois, who may have been the first love of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. [1] The Ann Rutledge used the Lincoln's original lightweight equipment set, while the Lincoln received a matching set originally used by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's (B&O) Royal Blue . [2] :145 The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad (GM&O) continued the Ann Rutledge upon its merger with the Alton in 1947. [3] The GM&O ended the Ann Rutledge on April 27, 1958. [4] :225

Amtrak

A Lincoln Service train lays over at St. Louis before continuing onward as the Ann Rutledge in 2008 Amtrak Lincoln Service - Ann Rutledge layover at St Louis, November 2008.jpg
A Lincoln Service train lays over at St. Louis before continuing onward as the Ann Rutledge in 2008

Amtrak revived the name Ann Rutledge on February 15, 1976, for an Amfleet-equipped train on the St. Louis-Chicago route, replacing a Turboliner frequency. The revival proved short-lived: on October 31 Amtrak extended the Laredo-St. Louis Inter-American through to Chicago, replacing the Ann Rutledge. In a reversal of the situation with the Alton in the 1930s, Amtrak used the Ann Rutledge's Amfleet coaches to re-equip a revived Abraham Lincoln. Amtrak revived the Ann Rutledge again on October 30, 1977, replacing the Abraham Lincoln. [4] :229

From its revival in 1977 until October 30, 2006, the Ann Rutledge operated as trains 303/304 along a 567-mile (912 km) route between Chicago and Kansas City via St. Louis, serving as part of both the Illinois Service and Missouri Service . On October 30, 2006, the Chicago-St. Louis State House was replaced with the Lincoln Service , and the Ann Rutledge was cut back to a St. Louis-Kansas City service. It operated as trains 313/314, connecting to Lincoln Service trains 303/304 at St. Louis. [5] In 2009, Amtrak consolidated the Ann Rutledge, Kansas City Mule , and the St. Louis Mule under the new name Missouri River Runner .

In May 2022, Amtrak quietly returned the Chicago-Kansas City via St Louis route under the name Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner, a combination of the names of the two services.

Related Research Articles

<i>City of New Orleans</i> (train) Amtrak service between Chicago and New Orleans, US

The City of New Orleans is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on an overnight schedule between Chicago and New Orleans. The train is a successor to the Illinois Central Railroad's Panama Limited.

<i>Texas Eagle</i> Amtrak service between Chicago and Los Angeles via Texas

The Texas Eagle is a long-distance passenger train operated daily by Amtrak on a 1,306-mile (2,102 km) route between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, with major stops in St. Louis, Little Rock, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin. Three days per week, the train joins the Sunset Limited in San Antonio and continues to Los Angeles via El Paso and Tucson. The combined 2,728-mile (4,390 km) route is the longest in the United States and the second-longest in the Americas, after the Canadian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri Pacific Railroad</span> Defunct American Class I railroad

The Missouri Pacific Railroad, commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad operated 9,041 miles of road and 13,318 miles of track, not including DK&S, NO&LC, T&P, and its subsidiaries C&EI and Missouri-Illinois.

<i>Illinois Zephyr</i> and <i>Carl Sandburg</i> Amtrak trains between Chicago, IL and Quincy, IL

The Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak on a 258-mile (415 km) route between Chicago and Quincy, Illinois. As Illinois Service trains, they are partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Between Chicago and Galesburg, Illinois, the trains share their route with the California Zephyr and Southwest Chief; the remainder of the route (Galesburg–Quincy) is served exclusively by the Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg.

<i>Lincoln Service</i> Amtrak service between Chicago, IL and St. Louis, MO

The Lincoln Service is a 284-mile (457 km) higher-speed rail service operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. The train is a part of the Illinois Service and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The train uses the same route as the long-distance Texas Eagle, which continues to San Antonio and Los Angeles. A connection with the Kansas City-bound Missouri River Runner is available in St. Louis.

<i>Michigan Services</i>

Michigan Services are three Amtrak passenger rail routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with the Michigan cities of Grand Rapids, Port Huron, and Detroit, and stations en route. The group falls under the Amtrak Midwest brand and is a component of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad</span> Former American railroad

The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Class I railroad in the central United States whose primary routes extended from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago, Illinois.

<i>Mules</i> (train) Pair of passenger trains running in Missouri

The Kansas City Mule and St. Louis Mule were a pair of 283-mile (455 km) passenger trains operated by Amtrak running between St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri as part of the Missouri Service train network. Also operating over this route was the Ann Rutledge, which originated in Chicago. In January 2009, Amtrak consolidated these trains under the name Missouri River Runner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alton Railroad</span> Railroad in the midwestern United States

The Alton Railroad was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago to Alton, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri. Its predecessor, the Chicago and Alton Railroad, was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1931 and was controlled until 1942 when the Alton was released to the courts. On May 31, 1947, the Alton Railroad was merged into the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad. Jacob Bunn had been one of the founding reorganizers of the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company during the 1860s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forgottonia</span> Area of Illinois, United States

Forgottonia, also spelled Forgotonia, is the name given to a 16-county region in Western Illinois in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This geographic region forms the distinctive western bulge of Illinois that is roughly equivalent to "The Tract", the Illinois portion of the Military Tract of 1812, along and west of the Fourth Principal Meridian. Since this wedge-shaped region lies between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, it has historically been isolated from the eastern portion of Central Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield station (Illinois)</span> Train station in Springfield, Illinois, U.S.

Springfield station is a brick railroad depot in Springfield, Illinois, the state capital. It is at mile 185 on Amtrak's Illinois and Missouri Route. As of 2007, it is served by five daily round trips each way: the daily Texas Eagle, and four daily Lincoln Service frequencies. It will be replaced by the Springfield-Sangamon Transportation Center, which is currently under construction, and expected to open in 2025.

<i>State House</i> (train) Former Amtrak service between Chicago, IL and St. Louis, MO

The State House was a passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. This service began in 1973 and continued until 2006, when it was re-branded as the Lincoln Service as part of a three-fold service expansion over that route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alton station (Illinois)</span>

Alton Regional Multimodal Transportation Center, also known as Alton station, is a station in Alton, Illinois, that is served by Amtrak's Lincoln Service and the Texas Eagle. This was also a stop for the Ann Rutledge until April 2007. It is one of three Amtrak stations in the St. Louis metropolitan area; the other two are the Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center located in downtown St. Louis, and the Amtrak station in Kirkwood, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Union Station (Illinois)</span> United States historic place

Springfield Union Station in Springfield, Illinois, is a former train station and now part of the complex of buildings that together form the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is located at 500 East Madison Street in downtown Springfield, adjacent to the Lincoln Presidential Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontiac station (Illinois)</span>

Pontiac station is an Amtrak train station in Pontiac, Livingston County, Illinois, United States. Pontiac station is served by the Illinois-focused Lincoln Service between Chicago Union Station and the Gateway Transportation Center in St. Louis, Missouri and the long-distance Texas Eagle between Chicago and Los Angeles Union Station. Until April 2007, Pontiac was also served by the Ann Rutledge, a train from Chicago to Kansas City Union Station. Pontiac station boasts a single, low-level side platform for trains, along with a station depot for passengers. The station also has a wheelchair lift and handicap-accessibility per the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

<i>Abraham Lincoln</i> (train)

The Abraham Lincoln was a named passenger train operated by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from 1935 into the 1960s. The Abe Lincoln ran between Chicago and St. Louis on the B&O's subsidiary Alton Railroad. The train later passed to the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad, and then finally to Amtrak, which retained the name until 1978. Service between Chicago and St. Louis is now known by the umbrella term Lincoln Service. This train was the first streamlined passenger service to travel the 284 miles between Chicago and St. Louis, with Joliet, Bloomington-Normal, Springfield and Alton in between. Passengers can get a glimpse of the Mississippi River between Alton and St. Louis.

<i>Missouri River Runner</i> Amtrak service between Kansas City and St. Louis, MO

The Missouri River Runner is a 283-mile (455 km) passenger train service operated by Amtrak in Missouri between Gateway Transportation Center in St. Louis and Union Station in Kansas City. The eastern half of the route runs largely along the right bank of the Missouri River.

<i>Prairie Marksman</i>

The Prairie Marksman was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago's Union Station and East Peoria, Illinois. The route was an indirect successor to the Rock Island's Peoria Rocket.

<i>National Limited</i> (Amtrak train) Defunct passenger rail service in the Eastern United States

The National Limited was a passenger train that ran between Kansas City, Missouri, and both New York City and Washington, D.C., splitting in Pennsylvania. Amtrak operated the train from 1971 to 1979.

<i>Alton Limited</i>

The Alton Limited was the Chicago & Alton Railway's (C&A) flagship service between Chicago, Illinois. and St. Louis, Missouri. It was introduced in 1899 and re-equipped in 1905 and 1924. The name and service were discontinued in late 1971.

References

  1. Schwartz, Barry. "Ann Rutledge in American Memory: Social Change and the Erosion of a Romantic Drama". Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
  2. Harwood, Herbert H.; Courtney B. Wilson (2002). Royal Blue Line: the classic B&O train between Washington and New York. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   9780801870613.
  3. "gmo.htm". Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
  4. 1 2 Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN   978-0-253-34705-3.
  5. Amtrak System Timetable: Fall 2006 — Winter 2007. Amtrak. October 30, 2006. pp. 84–85 via Museum of Railway Timetables.