Locomotives and trains featured include:
√ On March 12, 1953, Rock Island 634, an EMD Class E-7A, is the power for the Chicago-Colorado Springs section of the Rocky Mountain Rocket. It will soon depart eastbound from the Colorado Springs depot and head for Limon, CO. It will be combined there with its Chicago-Denver segment and return to Chicago as Train #8, the eastbound Rocky Mountain Rocket.
√ Rock Island 121 and 488 (F-7A and an RS-3) are on a freight at Chillicothe, IL on March 5, 1960. The FA’s, F’s, GP-7’s and GP-9 ‘s were all delivered in black and red paint. When a second application of paint was made, the Rock Island chose to use a maroon color; it was easier, quicker and cheaper to apply.
√ Rock Island 918, a Class P-33 Pacific (4-6-2) is on a southbound commuter train a mile south of La Salle Street Station, Chicago, IL in June 1947. 918 was built by the Brooks Locomotive Works, part of an order for 50 locomotives of this class in 1910, all oil burners, all used systemwide. By 1951 all were off the roster, replaced with diesels. Two of the three locomotives the Rock donated for display were P-33’s, 905 and 938. All of their other steam engines, except 887 (donated to Peoria, IL) went to the scrappers.
√ Rock Island had two Model AB-6 units supplied by EMD, delivered in June 1940.They were essentially B units with front windows. After many years of service on the Rocky Mountain Rocket, they were placed in the Chicago commuter pool, operating between Chicago and Blue Island, IL or Chicago and Joliet. Pictured here, 750 has just arrived at Blue Island on June 28, 1965. Both AB-6 units were retired after long careers; 751 went first in November 1973, and 750 in January 1974.
√ Rock Island 1206, a GP7, is leading the westbound Peoria Rocket into the Peoria, IL depot on June 21, 1959. The passenger units normally used on this train may have developed a problem, because GP-7’s were not regularly used on the Peoria Rocket trains.
√ Rock Island 801, a Lima-built, 800-horsepower switcher, is working the yard at Blue Island, IL on July 8, 1959. Rock Island had only two of them, 801 and 802, both received in September 1950. They were traded in to EMD for new power in March 1965. This was one of the errors of management that forced Rock Island out of business in 1980. They bought switchers piecemeal, rather than in groups. More parts inventories and more problems, some of them costly, hurt their bottom line.
√ Rock Island 136, an EMD re-engined Alco FA along with a GP40 assisting is coming through Newport, MN in early June 1968. This engine was delivered new to Rock Island as 152 in September of 1948. In June 1956, it was given an EMD power train and was renumbered 136. After a service life of almost 21 years, in January 1969 EMD took 136 as a trade-in.
√ Rock Island 621, a DL-109 built by the American Locomotive Company, is leading Train #11, the westbound Peoria Rocket making a station stop at Englewood, IL in August 1966. 621 was delivered to the Rock Island in October 1941—it was the line’s only DL-109. Due to diminishing performance it was re-engined with an EMD prime mover. This extended its life considerably, but it was finally set aside in January 1968.
√ Rock Island 602 (TA), a 1,200-horsepower passenger train locomotive built by EMD in 1937, sits at the Des Moines, IA engine terminal in the summer of 1953. Engines 601 through 606, the only locomotives of this type ever built, were used on smaller trains from Kansas City to Omaha, Kansas City to Dallas, and Memphis to Amarillo. As consists grew in size, the under powered engines became a liability. All were junked in 1958.
√ Rock Island 647 (E8A and E7B) are in charge of Train #507, the Twin Star Rocket, making a 7:50AM southbound station stop at Lawrence, KS on September 2, 1956. The Twin Star Rocket operated between Minneapolis, MN and Houston, TX, a rail distance of 1,364 miles.
√ Rock Island 401 and 400 were Model H15-44, 1,500-horsepower road switchers built by Fairbanks-Morse and delivered in their distinctive black and red paint in December 1948. These were the only two H15-44s Rock Island owned—lucky for them, sort of. Both locomotives had to have their prime movers replaced with EMD engines. They traded both of them in to General Electric in 1966. Here they are working in the Chicago area on July 15, 1961.
√ Rock Island 4422 and two other GP-18m’s are leading Train #138 in a pastoral winter scene at Calvin, OK on December 22, 1979. The rusty and dirt-streaked locomotives say it all. The Rock Island will pass into the history books on April 1, 1980.
Other Railroading Titles
Tide-mark publishes a notable group of train calendars featuring classic images of steam locomotives and great named trains of railroads across the United States. Calendar titles for 2025 include: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Denver Rio Grande Railroad in Colorado Narrow Gauge, Gulf Mobile & Ohio, Illinois Central, Milwaukee Road, New York Central, Pennsylvania Railroad, Rock Island, Santa Fe Railway, the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific. Classic trains are also pictured in Great Trains featuring paintings by artist Gil Bennett and in Howard Fogg’s Trains. Contemporary trains are the focus of the Railroading! calendar that offers 24 spectacular full-color images of trains from across North America. Tide-mark also publishes the Streetcars and Trolleys calendar with classic images from a wide range of cities in the U.S., as well as the new San Francisco Cable Cars title.
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