Golden Rocket (train)

The Golden Rocket was a proposed named passenger train of the Rock Island (CRIP) and Southern Pacific (SP) railroads.

A magazine ad for the Golden Rocket from the Rock Island.
A magazine ad for the Golden Rocket from Southern Pacific.

In February 1946, the Rock Island and Southern Pacific Railroads planned on jointly introducing a high-speed, tri-weekly passenger train that would run between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.[1] Two 11-car consists were to have been placed into service on the new line, one owned by the CRIP and the other by the SP. However, just as Pullman-Standard neared completion on the Rock Island trainset in 1947, and in the midst of an aggressive advertising campaign, the Southern Pacific abruptly withdrew from the project.[2] Rock Island took delivery of its rolling stock: a baggage-dormitory car, three coaches, a coffee shop-bar-lounge car, four sleeping cars, and a sleeper-lounge-observation car (with barbershop).

The Rock Island consist for the Golden Rocket:[3]

  1. Baggage-dormitory #820
  2. Coach Valle Verde
  3. Coach Valle Vista
  4. Coach Valle Mar
  5. Coffee-shop lounge El Café
  6. Diner El Comedor
  7. 4-double bedroom, 4-compartment, 2-drawing room sleeper La Quinta
  8. 22-roomette sleeper La Costa
  9. 12-double bedroom sleeper La Jolla
  10. 12-double bedroom sleeper La Palma
  11. 2-double bedroom, 1-drawing room sleeper buffet lounge-observation La Mirada

The proposed Southern Pacific consist for the Golden Rocket that was never built:[4]

  1. Baggage-dormitory
  2. Coach Valle Rio Grande
  3. Coach Valle del Sol
  4. Coach Valle Imperial
  5. Coffee-shop lounge El Café Frontero
  6. Diner La Fonda
  7. 4-double bedroom, 4-compartment, 2-drawing room sleeper Monte Chiricahua
  8. 22-roomette sleeper Monte Santa Rita
  9. 12-double bedroom sleeper Monte San Jacinto
  10. 12-double bedroom sleeper Santa Catalina
  11. 2-double bedroom, 1-drawing room sleeper buffet lounge-observation La Galleria

The units arrived bearing the ill-fated Golden Rocket's eye-popping livery, painted bright vermilion on top and bare stainless steel on the bottom. The cars also retained the festive Mexican-themed interiors originally intended for the Golden Rocket.[5] Rock Island immediately placed the cars into service on the Golden State, its other transcontinental train (jointly operated with Southern Pacific).[6]

The Golden State's cars and locomotives retained the Golden Rocket colors well into 1953, after which time the locomotives were repainted in the SP's well-known red-and-orange Daylight livery. Both railroads advertised the Golden Rocket. It was promoted as "America's Newest, Most Beautiful Streamliner"; instead, it became "the train that never was."

See also

References
  1. Dubin, Arthur D. (1964). Some Classic Trains. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: Kalmbach. p. 220.
  2. Dubin, Arthur D. (1964). Some Classic Trains. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: Kalmbach. p. 221.
  3. Dubin, Arthur D. (1964). Some Classic Trains. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: Kalmbach. p. 220.
  4. Dubin, Arthur D. (1964). Some Classic Trains. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: Kalmbach. p. 220.
  5. Dubin, Arthur D. (1964). Some Classic Trains. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: Kalmbach. p. 220.
  6. Dubin, Arthur D. (1964). Some Classic Trains. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: Kalmbach. p. 221.
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