Status Discontinued Successor Missouri River Runner Train number(s) 313,314 Start St. Louis First service 1937 Stops 9 | Locale Midwest United States Distance travelled 283 mi (455 km) Last service 2009 End Kansas City Service type Inter-city rail Former operators Alton Railroad, Amtrak | |
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Class(es) Business class and reserved coach | ||
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.
Contents
Until spring of 2007, it had operated as part of both the Illinois Service and Missouri Service Amtrak routes along the full route between Chicago and Kansas City via St. Louis. The train service uses the same track as one other Amtrak route, the Kansas City Mule and the St. Louis Mule.
Prior to April 2007, the train operated as number 303 eastbound and 304 westbound between Chicago and Kansas City via St. Louis over the full 567-mile (912 km) route. After April 2007 the Ann Rutledge operated daily between St. Louis and Kansas City connecting to the Illinois Amtrak Lincoln Service at St. Louis. Its last numbers were 313 westbound and 314 eastbound.
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. 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. The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad (GM&O) continued the Ann Rutledge upon its merger with the Alton in 1947. The GM&O ended the Ann Rutledge on April 27, 1958.
Amtrak
Amtrak revived the name Ann Rutledge on February 15, 1976 for an Amfleet-equipped train on the St. Louis-Chicago, 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 name again on October 30, 1977, replacing the Abraham Lincoln. Finally satisfied with the name, Amtrak operated the Ann Rutledge until 2009.