Abraham Lincoln (train)
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The ''Abraham Lincoln'' was a named passenger train operated by the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...
from 1935 into the 1960s. The ''Abe Lincoln'' ran between Chicago and St. Louis on the B&O's subsidiary
Alton Railroad 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 an ...
. The train later passed to the
Gulf, Mobile and Ohio 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, Missouri, St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago, Illin ...
, and then finally to
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
, which retained the name until 1978. Service between Chicago and St. Louis is now known by the umbrella term ''
Lincoln Service The ''Lincoln Service'' is a 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 Tra ...
''. 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
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between Alton and St. Louis.


Pre-Amtrak

The original streamlined ''Abe Lincoln'' was one of two non-
articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent coupling in its construction. This coupling works as a large pivot joint, allowing it to bend and turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buse ...
, streamlined trains built with government assisted funding in 1935. The locomotive, B&O No. 50, was powered by an 1800-hp box-cab diesel made by EMC. After delivery, No. 50 was retrofitted with a quasi-streamlined, sloped front end. The ''Abraham Lincoln'' continued to operate following the Alton Railroad's merger with the GM&O in 1947, and one of the streamliner trainsets survived into the 1960s.


Amtrak

Following its takeover of most passenger rail service in the
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on May 1, 1971,
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
retained the ''Abraham Lincoln'' as a daily Chicago–St. Louis service, operating in tandem with the GM&O's old '' Limited''. In November of that year Amtrak extended both the ''Abraham Lincoln'' and the ''Limited'' (now known as the '' Prairie State'') through Chicago to
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. In October 1973, Amtrak replaced the rolling stock with the new French-built Turboliner; as part of this change the trains were re-branded as ''Turboliners'' and truncated to Chicago. In February 1976 Amtrak returned conventional rolling stock to the route and revived the ''Abraham Lincoln'' name along with the ''
Ann Rutledge Ann Mayes Rutledge (January 7, 1813 – August 25, 1835) was allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love. Early life Born near Henderson, Kentucky, Ann Mayes Rutledge was the third of 10 children born to Mary Ann Miller Rutledge and James Rutledg ...
''. Amtrak added the '' State House'' to the Chicago–St. Louis corridor in 1977. Also in 1977, Amtrak extended the ''Abraham Lincoln'' to
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and renamed it the ''Ann Rutledge'' — a name that had briefly disappeared from the timetable in 1976–77 when Amtrak extended the '' Inter-American'' to Chicago. Today service between Chicago and St. Louis is handled by the ''
Lincoln Service The ''Lincoln Service'' is a 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 Tra ...
''.


Equipment

American Car and Foundry ACF Industries, originally the American Car and Foundry Company (abbreviated as ACF), is an American manufacturer of railroad rolling stock. One of its subsidiaries was once (1925–54) a manufacturer of motor coaches and trolley coaches und ...
(ACF) constructed two lightweight trainsets for the B&O, one for the ''Abraham Lincoln'' and one for the ''
Royal Blue Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by a consortium of mills in Rode, Wiltshire (in Somerset as of 1937), which won a competition to make a robe for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. I ...
'', which ran between
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and
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Each trainset consisted of eight cars: a baggage/mail car, three coaches, a lunch counter/diner, two parlor cars, and a parlor-observation car. The B&O rebuilt both baggage/mail cars in 1936: the ''Abraham Lincoln''s became a baggage/buffet car with seating for 24, while the ''Royal Blues became a baggage/chair car with seating for 44. On July 26, 1937, the ''Abraham Lincoln'' received the ''Royal Blue''s equipment, while the ''Abraham Lincoln''s original equipment was assigned to the ''
Ann Rutledge Ann Mayes Rutledge (January 7, 1813 – August 25, 1835) was allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love. Early life Born near Henderson, Kentucky, Ann Mayes Rutledge was the third of 10 children born to Mary Ann Miller Rutledge and James Rutledg ...
''. This consist included a 60-seat chair car (#5806) that the B&O had built in its own shops in 1936. Both of the consists had the first 64-seat chair car rebuilt into a buffet-lounge, while the lunch counter/diners became full dining cars. The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio ordered additional chair and parlor cars from ACF in 1947 but otherwise made few changes to the trains' equipment. The new cars seated 68 and 31, respectively.


Stations


See also

*''
Ann Rutledge Ann Mayes Rutledge (January 7, 1813 – August 25, 1835) was allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love. Early life Born near Henderson, Kentucky, Ann Mayes Rutledge was the third of 10 children born to Mary Ann Miller Rutledge and James Rutledg ...
'' *''
Lincoln Service The ''Lincoln Service'' is a 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 Tra ...
'' *''
Royal Blue Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by a consortium of mills in Rode, Wiltshire (in Somerset as of 1937), which won a competition to make a robe for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. I ...
''


References


External links

{{GM&O named trains Former Amtrak routes Named passenger trains of the United States Passenger rail transportation in Illinois Passenger rail transportation in Missouri Passenger trains of the Alton Railroad Passenger trains of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Passenger trains of the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad North American streamliner trains Railway services introduced in 1935 Railway services discontinued in 1978