Ann Rutledge (train)

Ann Rutledge

The Ann Rutledge in Springfield, Illinois. A GE Genesis leads the train, with an Amfleet coach and two Horizon Fleet coaches visible. The Illinois Capitol building can be seen over the center car.
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Midwest United States
First service	1937
Last service	2009
Successor	Missouri River Runner
Former operator(s)	Alton Railroad, Amtrak
Route
Termini	St. Louis, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri
Stops	9
Distance travelled	283 mi (455 km)
Train number(s)	313,314
On-board services
Class(es)	Business class and reserved coach
Catering facilities	On-board café
Technical
Rolling stock	Horizon Fleet and Amfleet coaches
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)	Union Pacific Railroad
Route map 0 mi Kansas City 10 mi 16 km Independence 23 mi 37 km Lee's Summit 65 mi 105 km Warrensburg 94 mi 151 km Sedalia 158 mi 254 km Jefferson City 202 mi 325 km Hermann 232 mi 373 km Washington 270 mi 435 km Kirkwood 283 mi 455 km St. Louis This diagram: view talk edit

The Ann Rutledge was a passenger train service operated by Amtrak running between St. Louis, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri, as part of the Missouri Services brand. In 2009 Amtrak consolidated the Ann Rutledge, Kansas City Mule, and the St. Louis Mule under the new name Missouri River Runner.

History

Pre-Amtrak

The Alton Railroad inaugurated the Ann Rutledge in 1937 as a companion to the Abraham Lincoln over the St. Louis–Chicago route. The Alton named the train after Ann Rutledge, a woman from New Salem, Illinois, who may have been the first love of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.^[1] The Ann Rutledge used the Lincoln's original lightweight equipment set, while the Lincoln received a matching set originally used by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's (B&O) Royal Blue.^[2]: 145 The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad (GM&O) continued the Ann Rutledge upon its merger with the Alton in 1947.^[3] The GM&O ended the Ann Rutledge on April 27, 1958.^[4]: 225

Amtrak

A Lincoln Service train lays over at St. Louis before continuing onward as the Ann Rutledge in 2008

Amtrak revived the name Ann Rutledge on February 15, 1976, for an Amfleet-equipped train on the St. Louis-Chicago route, replacing a Turboliner frequency. The revival proved short-lived: on October 31 Amtrak extended the Laredo-St. Louis Inter-American through to Chicago, replacing the Ann Rutledge. In a reversal of the situation with the Alton in the 1930s, Amtrak used the Ann Rutledge's Amfleet coaches to re-equip a revived Abraham Lincoln. Amtrak revived the Ann Rutledge again on October 30, 1977, replacing the Abraham Lincoln.^[4]: 229

From its revival in 1977 until October 30, 2006, the Ann Rutledge operated as trains 303/304 along a 567-mile (912 km) route between Chicago and Kansas City via St. Louis, serving as part of both the Illinois Service and Missouri Service. On October 30, 2006, the Chicago-St. Louis State House was replaced with the Lincoln Service, and the Ann Rutledge was cut back to a St. Louis-Kansas City service. It operated as trains 313/314, connecting to Lincoln Service trains 303/304 at St. Louis.^[5] In 2009, Amtrak consolidated the Ann Rutledge, Kansas City Mule, and the St. Louis Mule under the new name Missouri River Runner.

In May 2022, Amtrak quietly returned the Chicago-Kansas City via St Louis route under the name Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner, a combination of the names of the two services.

References

1. Schwartz, Barry. "Ann Rutledge in American Memory: Social Change and the Erosion of a Romantic Drama". Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
2. Harwood, Herbert H.; Courtney B. Wilson (2002). Royal Blue Line: the classic B&O train between Washington and New York. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 9780801870613.
3. "gmo.htm". Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
4. Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
5. Amtrak System Timetable: Fall 2006 — Winter 2007. Amtrak. October 30, 2006. pp. 84–85 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.

External links

• Amtrak - Illinois Service
• Amtrak - Missouri Routes