The ''Quad Cities Rocket'' was a named passenger train of the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At ...

. It operated on a route between

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the confluence of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock a ...

. It was a remnant of one of the Rock Island's premier trains, the '' Rocky Mountain Rocket.'' That train's route had been cut back to

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

in 1966; after a year without a name, it was renamed ''The Cornhusker.'' In 1970, the train took its final form when its western terminus was cut all the way back to Rock Island. The railroad initially declined to hand passenger operations over 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 ...

in 1971 and the ''Quad Cities'' continued to run as one of the company's two remaining routes (the other being the '' Peoria Rocket''). That year, a stop was added at

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

. The State of Illinois subsidized the cost of service, contributing $500,000 in 1977 to offset losses by the railroad (equivalent to $ in adjusted for inflation). Trains ran until December 31, 1978 when the Rock Island ended its intercity passenger operations.

References

Bibliography

* Named passenger trains of the United States Passenger trains of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Railway services discontinued in 1978 Passenger rail transportation in Illinois {{US-rail-transport-stub