A surprised find off the BNSF mainline at Ottawa, KS.
Rock Island E8's 652 and 655 leads the daily inter-city Quad Cities Rocket at Blue Island, Illinois on May 12, 1973. The railroad initially declined to hand passenger operations over to Amtra... (more)
Rock Island GP35 322 with F3B 4103 and two GP7s is in charge of RI #31 the Memphis-El Reno train passing under the Santa Fe at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on March 21, 1975. Photo by Ken Moore... (more)
The Rock Island continued their own passenger service past Amtrak startup The Rock Island train from the Quad Cities nears LaSalle Street Station.
If Rock Island had adopted an all-yellow paint scheme in anticipation of the doomed UP merger this might have been the result; an all yellow E8 661 former UP 941 glow in early morning light a... (more)
Rock Island mail and express kept No.21, the Memphis-Tucumcari train in the timetable in November 1962, as W/B FP7 410 leaves El Reno, OK. Only a chair car was operated for the few passengers,... (more)
Many Rock Island diesels units, especially Geep's made it into the mid Sixties in their original red, black and white scheme with "wings". We see here GP7 1226 and F7(A) 103 at the Rock Island... (more)
Rock Island's GP-7's were not equipped for suburban service, and so 1217 must be functioning as a switcher or pilot rather than the motive power for the whole train. That duty is probably going ... (more)
At the Amarillo train station, Rock Island F-M H15-44 #401 powers No.21 the Memphis-Amarillo-Tucumcari Mail and Express train, with only a chair car was operated for the few passengers on March ... (more)
A failed attempt at saving the Rock Island after a failed attempt with a merger with the Union Pacific. This was a short lived scheme but attractive. Too bad it didn't survive, as Johnny Cash woul... (more)
Looks like a fresh paint job after a full restoration. Grills have not been applied yet.
A Rock Island GP40 coupled to Union Pacific GP9B awaiting the next assignment.
An Alco C415 along with an RS3M haul a transfer freight through Blue Island, Illinois.
A pair of Rock Island E7's leaving downtown Chicago with a commuter train.
Built for the Rock Island by EMD as a lightweight passenger train. The three trainsets produced were deemed a failure and train set number 1 was scrapped in 1966. The two others were donated to mu... (more)
