Remember The Rock

[Anonymous]

25 years ago, it was no April fool's joke. The Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad operated its last train on March 31, 1980. The end of the company was a complete liquidation, the largest such in U.S. history, following bankruptcy, and, finally, the railroad's clerks' strike in the late Summer of 1979. Ideas of reorganizing the line were declared impossible. The Kansas City Terminal Railroad "took over" operations temporarily, after the end of The Rock Island. In the years to follow, the tracks were either sold to the highest bidder or abandoned. Hats off to the employees (not the striking clerks) and friends of the railroad. Remember the Rock. -Brian

[Anonymous]

Gone but not forgotten

Remember The Rock

[ValorStorm]

I lived on The Rock in Atlantic Iowa in 1977. It was simultaneously depressing and fambulous. The MRL Bitterroot Branch is maintained to a higher standard than the Rock Island mainline had become. There was no visible sign of ballast. But freights still went 40 mph through town. And they had character! Not like the plain-green-wrapper BN to the south.

[Anonymous]

Always liked rock islands "Rocket" paint job... and anything but that Bankrupt blue, yuk!

[Anonymous]

In my early youth, I grew up just one block from the Rock trks in Wichita,KS. From about 1965-1972 I can remember some of the RI. The sharp looking frt cars, beautiful painted little SW yd switchers w/the cat wisker logo was the best in the industry in my opinion. When the rr folded in 1979-1980 I was in high school and remembered following in the news the shutdown of the rr. I am currently trying to find out history of the RI in the Wichita area for a writing research project. If anyone has details of the history of Cline yd, frt & psgr operations in the area this would be a great help.

[Anonymous]

It's hard to believe the late great RI has been gone for 25 years. In 1955 I was going steady with a girl who worked in the RI's Tie, Timber & Bridge Department at LaSalle St. Station in Chicago. Also that year I rode the Golden State Limited to El Paso. Our route from Chicago to Tucumcari, NM was Rock Island all the way over a well maintained ROW that made for a very smooth ride. Tucumcari to El Paso (and on to Los Angeles) was over the Southern Pacific. The Golden State was a first class streamliner with all modern coaches, diner, cafe lounge, sleeping and observation cars. I especially enjoyed seeing the Rock's big steam locomotives which at that time powered all the freight trains on the Golden State Route.