Gulf, Mobile and Ohio's "The Ann Rutledge" train No. 19 southbound, departing from Springfield, Illinois in 1957. Notice the State Capitol building behind the train.
Ann Rutledge
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.
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. 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 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.
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. 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.
Overview
Service type: Inter-city rail
Status: Discontinued
Locale: Midwest United States
First service: 1937
Last service: 2009
Successor: Missouri River Runner
Former operator(s): Alton Railroad, Amtrak
Route Termini: St. Louis, Missouri / Kansas City, Missouri
Stops: 9
Distance traveled: 283 mi (455 km)
Train number(s): 313, 314
On-board services
Class(es): Business class and reserved coach
Catering facilities: On-board café
Technical
Rolling stock: Horizon Fleet and Amfleet coaches
Track gauge: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s): Union Pacific Railroad
Route
0 - Kansas City
10 mi / 16 km - Independence
23 mi / 37 km - Lee's Summit
65 mi / 105 km - Warrensburg
94 mi / 151 km - Sedalia
158 mi / 254 km - Jefferson City
202 mi / 325 km - Hermann
232 mi / 373 km - Washington
270 mi / 435 km - Kirkwood
283 mi / 455 km - St. Louis
Amtrak Lincoln Service train 303 lays over at St. Louis before continuing on as Ann Rutledge train 313 in November 2008. (Image: Rhett Sutphin from Chicago, IL, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped)
The eastbound Ann Rutledge waiting to depart Kansas City Union Station in May 1980. (Image: Hikki Nagasaki, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
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.
(Image: Katherine Johnson from Springfield, IL, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped).
(Top image: Peters, Walt. ["The Ann Rutledge" in Springfield, Illinois], photograph, 1957; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth28602/m1/1/?q=museum%20of%20the%20american%20railroad: accessed March 6, 2023), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Museum of the American Railroad.)
