Ann Rutledge (train)

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.

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 typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleMidwest United States
First service1937
Last service2009
SuccessorMissouri River Runner
Former operator(s)Alton Railroad, Amtrak
Route
TerminiSt. Louis, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Stops9
Distance travelled283 mi (455 km)
Train number(s)313,314
On-board services
Class(es)Business class and reserved coach
Catering facilitiesOn-board café
Technical
Rolling stockHorizon Fleet and Amfleet coaches
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)Union Pacific Railroad

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 of 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 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  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 2008-04-02.
  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.
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