Rocket (Rock Island trains)

The Rockets were six lightweight, streamlined, locomotive-hauled passenger trains that the Budd Company built for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. They were the first streamlined equipment the Rock Island bought and its first diesel-powered passenger trains. The stainless steel trainsets were articulated except for the observation cars, and each was powered by an Electro-Motive Corporation model TA locomotive that, unlike on many early streamliners, was not permanently attached to the train. Four of the trains had three cars and two had four. The six trains as first assigned were the Peoria Rocket, the Des Moines Rocket, the Texas Rocket, the Denver Rocket, which later became the Rocket between Kansas City and Oklahoma City, and the Kansas City Rocket, which had two trainsets. As the railroad streamlined more routes the list of trains carrying the Rocket name grew.