The ''Choctaw Rocket'' was a named

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...

operated by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad between

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, and Amarillo. Initially designated as train No. 51 (westbound) and train No. 52 (eastbound), it was the first diesel powered

streamliner A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating wikt:streamline, streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "High-speed rail, bullet trai ...

to operate out of

, as well as the first streamliner service in the state of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...

History

The ''Choctaw Rocket'' followed a railway built by the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad between 1900 and 1902, informally known as the

Choctaw Route The Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad (CO&G), known informally as the "Choctaw Route," was an American railroad in the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The company, originally known as the Choctaw Coal and Railway Company, completed its main li ...

. The CO&G and its railways were purchased by the Rock Island railroad in 1902. A predecessor train, along the same route, and having the numbers #51/52, had the name, ''Chocktaw Limited'' in the 1930s. After an inaugural tour at cities along the route, the ''Choctaw Rocket'' entered regular service on November 17, 1940. Rock Island Choctaw Rocket 1941

The original locomotive and car assignments for the two ''Choctaw Rocket'' sets of equipment included E6 locomotives 628 and 629, modernized heavyweight railway post office- baggage cars 702 and 703, coaches 350-''Amarillo'', and 351-''Oklahoma City'', sleepers 622-''Seminole'', and 623-''Wewoka'', and dining-parlor- observation cars 430-''Memphis'', and 431-''Little Rock''. The coaches, sleepers and observation cars were all streamlined cars ordered from

Pullman Standard The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century ...

Manufacturing Company, specifically for use on the ''Choctaw Rocket''. The Choctaw Rocket when inaugurated operated between Memphis, Tennessee and Amarillo, Texas. In January 1949 it was restructured to operate only between Memphis and Oklahoma City, with a connecting non-Rocket train between Oklahoma City and Amarillo. Contrary to some beliefs, the Choctaw Rocket never operated to

Tucumcari, New Mexico Tucumcari (; ) is a city in and the county seat of Quay County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 5,278 at the 2020 census. Tucumcari was founded in 1901, two years before Quay County was established. History In 1901, the Chicago, ...

although a companion Rock Island train on this route, the ''Memphis-Californian'' and the ''Cherokee,'' did operate to Tucumcari, New Mexico, connecting there with the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

to continue service west to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

. The

Railway Mail Service The Railway Mail Service of the United States Post Office Department was a significant mail transportation service in the US from the mid-19th century until the mid-20th century. The RMS, or its successor the Postal Transportation Service (PTS) ...

utilized the ''Choctaw Rocket'' for United States mail transportation, sorting and distribution along the route. One railway post office crew worked between Memphis, TN and McAlester, OK, while a second crew operated between McAlester and Amarillo. By 1952, the ''Choctaw Rocket'' had lost its ''Rocket'' designation, Rock Island's identification for the company's premier passenger trains, reflecting the route's downgrade to secondary train status. In August 1953, the conventional locomotive-pulled trains were replaced by self-propelled Budd rail diesel cars and the trains were renamed the ''Choctaw Rockette'', a name which lasted until mid-1958. After the discontinuance of Western Pacific's rail diesel car trains 1-2 ( Salt Lake City-

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

) in 1960, the Rock Island's Memphis - Amarillo RDC route held the distinction of being the longest such route in the United States. Declining patronage and a desire by the Rock Island to close many small-town depots resulted in the discontinuance of this route, now designated as unnamed trains 23–24, with last runs occurring on August 8, 1964.Interstate Commerce Commission Finance Docket No. 23015; July 27, 1964. 324 ICC 729.

Notes

References

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External links

Rock Island Railroad, 1957 timetable
{{CRIP named trains Passenger trains of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Named passenger trains of the United States History of Arkansas Railway services introduced in 1940 Night trains of the United States Railway services discontinued in 1964