page_title: Rocky Mountain Rocket
section_title: Equipment
hierarchical_section_title: Rocky Mountain Rocket / Equipment
caption_attribution_description: CRI&amp;P 751, an EMC AB6, in suburban service at Joliet.
context_page_description: The Rocky Mountain Rocket was a streamlined passenger train of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Rock Island's train numbers 7 and 8 ran between Chicago's LaSalle Street Station and Denver's Union Station and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Rocket ran from 1939 to 1966; the train was discontinued prior to the creation of Amtrak in 1971.
context_section_description: Both Budd and Pullman-Standard contributed cars to the inaugural equipment sets used by the Rocky Mountain Rocket. Each of the two equipment sets comprised a baggage car, 44-seat post office-coach, 52-seat coach, diner-lounge, two sleeping cars, and a sleeper-observation car. Budd built the baggage cars, coaches, and dining cars. The diner-lounge could seat 32 patrons in the main dining, plus 14 in a cocktail lounge. The car included a kitchen and pantry. Pullman-Standard built the sleeping cars and sleeper-observation car. The first sleeping car contained eight sections, two compartments, and two double bedrooms. The second contained ten sections and four roomettes. The sleeper-observation contained five bedrooms toward the front of the car, followed by a small lounge and round-end observation area.
  The motive power for the Rocket was unusual. The Rock Island assigned an EMC E6 and EMC AB6 to haul the train. The AB6s, unique to the Rock Island and this route, were flat-fronted, similar to a B unit, but with a cab and capable of independent operation. It could operate behind an A unit without ruining the streamlined profile of the train, but then pull the Colorado Springs section after the separation in Limon.
caption: Rock Island AB6 No. 751 in commuter service in 1966
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