![]() ![]() Amid losses of $120,000, Illinois withdrew its support for the train, and the Prairie Marksman made its last run on October 4, 1981. ![]() However, the train only attracted 65 passengers per day, not even half of the 150 per day needed to justify making it permanent. The Prairie Marksman was intended as a one-year pilot project. The name was derived from a TP&W freight train which once operated over that route between Eschewing the Rock Island route, the Prairie Marksman used the oldĬhenoa, Illinois, and then traveled west over the The Prairie Marksman began on August 10, 1980, as a joint venture between Amtrak and the state of Illinois. The Lone Star, however, fell victim to budget cuts and was discontinued in October 1979. Santa Fe's Texas Chief and Super Chief, respectively–stopped daily. With the demise of the Rock Island, Peoria's nearest railroad connection was atĬhillicothe, Illinois, 20 miles (32 km) to the north, where Amtrak's Lone Star (Chicago-Kansas City-Houston) and Southwest Limited (Chicago-Kansas City-Los Angeles)–successors to the The two trains continued running until December 31, 1978, each providing one daily round trip between Chicago's The company decided it was cheaper to keep running its remaining passenger trains, the Peoria Rocket and Quad Cities Rocket, than hand them to Amtrak. Then in serious financial distress, the Rock Island opted out of Amtrak in 1971. The route was an indirect successor to theĪmtrak Peoria was served by the Rock Island's Peoria Rocket out of the Rock Island's
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