Twin Star Rocket

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Twin Star RocketOverview

Service type| Inter-city rail
Status| Discontinued
Locale| Midwestern United States/Southwestern United States
First service| 1945
Last service| 1967
Former operator(s)| Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
Route
Termini| Minneapolis, Minnesota
Houston, Texas
Stops| 26 intermediate stops
Distance travelled| 1,363 mi (2,194 km)
Average journey time| 25 hours, 50 minutes, southbound;
25 hours, 40 minutes, northbound
Service frequency| Daily
Train number(s)| 507 (southbound) and 508 (northbound)
On-board services
Seating arrangements| Coach
Sleeping arrangements| Roomettes and double bedrooms
Catering facilities| Dining car
Observation facilities| Parlor lounge observation car (1957)
Technical
Track gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
| Route map

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Legend

|  |  |

|  | Minneapolis

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|
|
|

|  |

|  | St. Paul
|  |

|  | Northfield
|  |

|  | Faribault
|  |

|  | Owatonna
|  |

|  | Albert Lea
|  |

|  |

| Minnesota

Iowa

|  |

|  | Manly
|  |

|  | Mason City
|  |

|  | Iowa Falls
|  |

|  | Des Moines
|  |

|  |

| Iowa

Missouri

|  |

|  | Trenton
|  |

|  | Excelsior Springs
|  |

|  | Kansas City
|  |

|  |

| Missouri

Kansas

|  |

|  | Lawrence
|  |

|  | Topeka
|  |

|  | Herington
|  |

|  | Wichita
|  |

|  | Caldwell
|  |

|  |

| Kansas

Oklahoma

|  |

|  | Enid
|  |

|  | El Reno
|  |

|  | Chickasha
|  |

|  | Duncan
|  |

|  | Waurika
|  |

|  |

| Oklahoma

Texas

|  |

|  | Fort Worth
|  |

|  | Dallas
|  |

|  | Waxahachie
|  |

|  | Corsicana
|  |

|  | Teague
|  |

|  | Houston
|  |  |  |  |  |

The Twin Star Rocket was a passenger train operated by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Introduced on January 14, 1945, it was the only new streamlined train permitted to enter service in World War II by the U.S. government.[1] The new train became the second longest north–south train itinerary under the management of a single railroad in the United States (and the longest measured by great circle distance) with its northern terminal at the Milwaukee Road’s Minneapolis depot and southern terminal 1,363 miles (2,194 km) away at Houston, Texas.[2] The name of the new streamlined train was derived from its terminal states—Texas being known as the Lone Star State and Minnesota as the North Star State.

## Rolling stock[edit]

A fold-out Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad schedule from 1959 shows the Twin Star Rocket schedule south of Fort Worth.

The Rock Island assigned the two Rocket train sets from the Kansas City–Minneapolis Rocket, and one train set from the Kansas City–Dallas Texas Rocket was transferred to the new Twin Star Rocket. The other Texas Rocket train set then began operating a daily round trip Rocket service between Oklahoma City and Kansas City. Another of the three-car Rocket trains operated an Oklahoma City–Dallas round trip daily.

### Sleeping cars[edit]

The new Twin Star Rocket operated the Minneapolis–Kansas City segment of the trip in daylight hours in both directions, so no sleeping cars were initially carried between those cities. At Kansas City the southbound Twin Star Rocket added a lightweight 8-section, 5-double bedroom sleeping car for the overnight run to Houston. The northbound train carried another 8-section, 5-double bedroom sleeping car between Houston and Kansas City. The two lightweight streamlined sleeping cars originally assigned to the Twin Star Rocket were Forest Canyon and Thompson Canyon, two cars originally assigned to the Rocky Mountain Rocket as Kansas City–Denver cars. The Twin Star Rocket served Saint Paul Union Depot, Albert Lea, Des Moines, Kansas City, Topeka, Wichita, El Reno, Fort Worth and Dallas en route to Houston from Minneapolis. By 1957 the sections were replaced by modern roomettes.[2]

### Locomotives[edit]

The Rock Island powered these three streamlined consists with EMD E6A units taken from other schedules.

### Baggage and dining cars[edit]

Each train set was assigned a heavyweight baggage-30-foot Railway Post Office cars, streamlined dining cars came from the Golden State and were known as the Cactus series as each was named for a cactus—#422 Yucca; #423 Sahuaro; and #424 Ocotillo. The Twin Star Rockets were fully streamlined in 1948.

## References[edit]

1. ^ On Board the Rock Island Rockets, Streamliner Memories, October 12, 2012.
2. ^ a b "Twin Star Rocket" 1957 schedule,Streamliner Schedules.

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Named trains of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad

Rockets|

* Choctaw Rocket
* Corn Belt Rocket
* Des Moines Rocket
* Golden Rocket
* Jet Rocket
* Kansas City Rocket
* Oklahoma Rocket
* Quad Cities Rocket
* Rock Island Rockets
* Rocky Mountain Rocket
* Texas Rocket
* Twin Star Rocket
* Zephyr Rocket

Other named trains|

* Arizona Limited
* Californian
* Cherokee
* Chicago-Hot Springs Limited
* Choctaw Limited
* Colorado Express
* Des Moines-Omaha Limited
* Firefly
* Golden State
* Golden State Limited
* Imperial
* Iowa-Nebraska Limited
* Mid-Continent Special
* Rocky Mountain Limited
* Sam Houston Zephyr
* Short Line Express
* Twin Cities Express

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Railroads in the Twin Cities

Current freight rail service|

* BNSF
* Canadian National
* CPKC
* Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad
* Minnesota Commercial Railway
* Progressive Rail
* Twin Cities & Western Railroad
* Union Pacific
* Wisconsin Central

Current passenger rail service|

* Amtrak
* Empire Builder
* Metro Transit
* Blue Line
* Green Line
* Northstar Commuter Rail

Current stations|

* Saint Paul Union Depot

Historical stations|

* Midway
* Milwaukee Road Depot
* Minneapolis Great Northern Depot

Historical lines serving
Midway|

* Amtrak
* Arrowhead
* North Coast Hiawatha
* North Star
* Twin Cities Hiawatha

Historical lines serving both
Milwaukee Road Depot
and Saint Paul Union Depot|

* Milwaukee Road
* Twin Cities Hiawatha
* Rock Island Railroad
* Twin Star Rocket
* Soo Line
* Winnipeger

Historical lines serving both
Minneapolis Great Northern Depot
and Saint Paul Union Depot|

* Chicago and North Western Railway and Omaha Road
* Twin Cities 400
* Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
* Twin Cities Zephyr
* Great Northern Railway
* Empire Builder
* Northern Pacific Railway
* North Coast Limited
* Wisconsin Central Railway

Historical lines serving other depots|

* Chicago Great Western Railway
* Minnesotan
* Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway
* Electric Short Line Railway
* Luce Line
* Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern Railway
* Dan Patch line
* Minneapolis, Anoka & Cuyuna Range Railroad
* Minnesota Transfer Railway

Related|

* Lake Superior Railroad Museum
* Milwaukee Road 261
* Minnesota Prairie Line
* Minnesota Streetcar Museum
* Como-Harriet Streetcar Line
* Minnesota Transportation Museum
* Minnesota Zephyr
* Twin City Rapid Transit

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