Rock Island's Stubborn Battle to Survive | Oversight, Politics, and a Strike | History in the Dark

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, usually just called the Rock Island Line, was a major railway operating in the midwestern United States. Existing since the 1800's, the Rock's story was a series of ups and downs, but it was not all due to anything the railroad could control. Their death as a line is one of the most brutal, as in retrospect they did many things right. It just wasn't enough.
0:00 - Intro
0:56 - The Backstory
12:36 - The Fight
22:40 - The End?
"The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway)[1] (reporting marks CRIP, RI, ROCK) was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end of 1970, it operated 7,183 miles of road on 10,669 miles of track; that year it reported 20,557 million ton-miles of revenue freight and 118 million passenger miles. (Those totals may or may not include the former Burlington-Rock Island Railroad.)"
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#history #truestory #documentary

[@roseking2175]

My grandfather worked for the rock island railroad from the time he got out of the army during the Korean war till when the rock island closed. My whole life growing up he has told me stories from working there, from him bringing my dad to shunt cars from one side of the small town to the other, to him being both an engineer riding across the nearby states and a conductor later doing the same thing. He has many stories of inner employee drama including executives from St Louis apologizing to him for his boss and his boss's boss' actions. The story that stood out to me the most, granted i was little when he told me but i am 99% sure i remember correctly, when the rock island was firing lots of employees shortly before they closed, he tried to fight against it, getting as far as when the then president of the united states was in a nearby small town he stood in the crowd with a sign, i cant remember what it said but something about the injustice of the railroads, which actually led to him getting to have a 30 second conversation with the president where my grandpa said a few short words and got thanked by him for sticking up for himself and all the employees he worked with. Nothing came of the conversation but it was still a surprise to get to speak with him in that crowded little town. I believe a good chunk of rock island railroad employees from about the early 60s untill it closed will remember my grandfather, he always went by smitty.

[@0fficialdregs]

I would like to thank him for his service and also picking the right railroad to work for.

[@phaloxx]

Smitty as in WC Smith????

[@noah9172]

a example of 'not going down without a fight' right here folks-

[@SmokyHillsSwitcher]

I work for Kyle Railroad, on Rock Island’s former Chicago - Denver mainline. We have several paintings and photos in our depots of their trains, and we still use the same mileposts that they used.

[@iannarita9816]

The two things that killed Rock Island was 1. The failed UP merger. That failure was exclusively the ICC. 2. Henry Crown's insistence on deferring maintenance to provide paper proof of a "profitable" railroad. This was done to keep his shares of the railroad worth more than they actually were. The ten years it took to approve the merger with the attached conditions, combined with the deferred maintenance, then Henry Crown wanting more money for the railroad. All of it made UP say the Rock Island was not worth it. In the end the next big union action was with Conrail. When the unions looked at Conrail's books, the unions were shocked by how much the pre Penn Central master contract was costing railroads. The Rocks failure was to create a different environment for Conrail's labor relations. The realization that congress would let railroads fail changed a generation of union railroad negotiations. Now PSR is bringing back a stronger union position. Unions are negotiating time off rules. And sick leave.

[@kristoffermangila]

The Rock Island reminds me a lot of Eastern Airlines: pretty decent companies that were taken down by a combination of fierce competition, wrong government intervention as well as archaic regulations, and downright greedy and overambitious union leaders, with a small mention to greedy and unscrupulous creditors...

[@aj3751]

Another company that (decades later) is slowly coming back too!

[@crosstiewalker803]

You're full of $hit.

[@crosstiewalker803]

You don't know what you're talking about, and you weren't there to see what happened. It's preposterous that you're trying to place the blame for the C.R.I.P. going under, on everyone and everything, except the actual causes.

[@crosstiewalker803]

​@@aj3751The C.R.I.P. isn't "coming back", so what are you talking about?

[@JackCarsonsRailroadVideos]

This is my fav fallen flag video so far. Well done!

[@0fficialdregs]

same. I hope he does the CNW and IC next

[@timnewman1172]

To their credit, the Iowa Interstate has transformed the track infrastructure of the Council Bluffs-Chicago mainline into Class 1 condition... I would love to see it turned into an Amtrak-rated line and operate passenger service between Des Moines & Chicago!

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

Hmm, we may yet see an Amtrak ‘Des Moines Rocket’ yet!

[@dknowles60]

that was Easy. it is where the Rock made most of its money

[@craigrhollister]

But the iowa interstate does not want Amtrak. They feel its unfair they must maintain the track to passenger speed. Iowa interstate is happy with current speed

[@joefin5900]

I rode the Rocky Mountain Rocket numerous tims as a kid. Colorado Springs to Chicago. It left everyday at 12;01 in the afternoon.

[@sirblack1619]

I wish that there were video and pics of the Springs line to Limon. I cannot find any pics of that part of the line.

[@railfankasey]

In a way, I grew up with the rock island, albeit hidden. I grew up right next to a short line in NY called the New York and Ogdensburg. Their switcher #14, was a former Rock island SW900 #908. Sadly she was scrapped in 2018. But from 1984 to 2017 she served the line well. Thanks for posting this.

[@fanofeverything30465]

Another preserved locomotive that still got scrapped?

[@WAL_DC-6B]

I read somewhere that "the Rock Island went everywhere the Burlington (CB&Q) went, just slower."

[@stephensaasen8589]

A very interesting history to The Rock I never heard. Their demise sounds eerily similar to the Milwaukee's demise. Speculation of sabotage by former BN execs the Milwaukee hired on in 1974 lends it's support to the fact that maintenance coincidentally was further deferred after their hire and every opportunity the Milwaukee was given to succeed was mysteriously thwarted internally by failing to meet obligations that could've been met. Even during bankruptcy, an audit revealed that overhead charges were doubled on the Pacific Extension in the record and had they been recorded properly, a meager profit would have been revealed despite the meager traffic out west by the late 1970's. So the Pacific Extension that execs insisted at the time were causing the Milwaukee's financial woes was actually making a little money. But they'd already gotten what they wanted as the Trustee ruled to Embargo Lines West. And the Milwaukee, like The Rock, was now trapped as a Midwestern carrier and at the mercy of whatever railroad was willing to join forces with them. The ICC continued to meddle and fail to make good decisions. Grand Trunk RR had a good shipping relationship in the early 1980's, causing the Milwaukee to thrive for a couple of years. A merger proposal was made that would help make their relationship more efficient. But, as always, the ICC said no! As the GT turned away from the Milwaukee, the railroad was fast heading for another bankruptcy. And instead of selling it to the highest bidder, the courts handed it over to the Soo Line, a CP subsidiary. Sad ending that gave Canadian railroads a foothold in the US!

[@Interestingenough4]

You did not disappoint! In addition to what you said, what helped muddy up the RI/UP waters was that the Milwaukee Road tried to get in on the merger. When the ICC finally made up its mind, it planned to carve up the Rock between UP, SP, and Santa Fe, and would give the Rio Grande the option to buy the KC-Denver line. No wonder UP threw in the towel and walked away, at that point I think it was fair to say NOBODY was happy.

[@stephensaasen8589]

Didn't know the Milwaukee wanted the Rock. I know they practically shadowed each other in the Midwest, and that could alleviate competition; but it looked like their main interest was Chicago& Northwestern in the 1960's. That merger would've been a better choice since the C&NW was stronger financially and could benefit by having its own connection to the Western United States thru the Milwaukee's Pacific Extension. But as with The Rock and UP, the ICC drug it's feet on that one too. By the time they approved, Milwaukee and CNW were no longer interested and like the Rock, Milwaukee spent too much money in litigation over the merger and it's infrastructure was suffering as well, although not quite as badly as the Rock. The Milwaukee continued its downward spiral despite the extra connections in the West granted by the ICC from the BN merger. The CNW once again showed interest in the Milwaukee's Pacific Extension after the 1977 bankruptcy and Embargo of Lines West but turned it down when a study showed the infrastructure in too poor condition to be revitalized. Both the Rock and Milwaukee were dealt a bad hand. There's even evidence the BN sabotaged the Milwaukee's chance to pull out of its slump in the early 1970's when the board decided to hire on BN execs to try to help it succeed. Personally, I think they helped them over the cliff.

[@dknowles60]

@@stephensaasen8589 wrong Bn could have Careless About the Milwaukee, it had its hands full Of Power river basin Coal Problems

[@stephensaasen8589]

@@dknowles60 you sure don't know your history. The Milwaukee left the west in 1980. That was just before Powder River coal ever became a thing. BN adopted James Hill's philosophy. They wanted a northern monopoly and if the Milwaukee could get an edge on the western gateways the ICC gave the Milwaukee as a concession to the BN merger, BN would be second dog and maybe even the scrapper. The Milwaukee Road had the most direct and shortest route to Chicago and if they could've overcome the unions blocking more efficient time tables and crew change points, they would've beat BN between Chicago and Tacoma-Seattle. Whether people want to believe it or not, most of the system in the West was still at 50mph track speed in the early '70's. It's a fact that everyone argues about but the early 1970's was the tipping point for the Milwaukee and instead of trying to capitalize on the improved traffic levels as a result of these gateways, the Milwaukee seemed to work hard at killing their opportunities and reduce track maintenance even further. It's a fact that the Milwaukee brought high level execs from BN in the early 1970's to the board with a desire for these men to give the railroad vision and hope of survival but instead they begged to join BN perhaps as a facade while at the same time killing the infrastructure and failing at every new shipping opportunity. The funny thing about corporate espionage is most people want to call it conspiracy theory but much evidence points to the railroad being undermined. There's alot of things going on in the world right now that a couple of years ago was considered conspiracy theory but now is well known fact. The only difference with the Milwaukee being undermined is in the long run, the loss of this great railroad had little to no effect on our nation so the truth of what really happened isn't a big issue in the grand scheme of things. What really happened is only known to those who knew its employees and those who saw what transpired in that board room 50 years ago.

[@dknowles60]

wronmg [pwer river was going on in 1972, how young are you@@stephensaasen8589

[@tylergreen4843]

Also rock island had nice steam locomotives. My favorites are the p-33-b pacifics like 887, disguised as 886 because the real 886 was scrapped and the R-67 4-8-4s which lionel actually made models of in o scale

[@michigandon]

Three of those p-33-b's still exist today. Travesty of Justice that none of the R-67s were saved. ☹

[@tylergreen4843]

@@michigandon exactly!

[@TrainsAreReallyCool]

The ICC basically said "No, we're not looking at your stupid plan, we're banishing you to the shadow realm and there's nothing you can do about it. Bye!"

[@fanofeverything30465]

The ICC basically said "No, screw you"

[@a62dave]

I was just entering the workforce when all those union shenanigans were going on and Carter did that back-to-work order. That whole situation really had an impact on me, turning me off unions, driving me to ensure my independence. Then the deregulation happened. What a time to be entering the workforce!

[@crosstiewalker803]

It looks like you're a scab loving scum.

[@missouribackwoodsadventures]

SP did end up eventually acquiring the part of the rock that goes by my house in Missouri. I remember being a kid in the 90s watching the big SP units roll by. Last one served the town next to mine back in 96. Now the rails are gone. SP wanted the line to put pressure on Union Pacifics hold on the coal traffic. Although, even today trains still run from union to STL on the old rock.

[@0fficialdregs]

One of my favorite railroads of all time IC | CNW | RI | SP | MRL| Wabash

[@jacehackworth6413]

Nearly half of the current Iowa Interstate Railroads engines are former Rock Island ones. IAIS also has two newer engines with Rock Island throwback liveries. An old RI facility in Silvis is now being used to restore a lot of steam engines and the first one there as far as I know is from my hometown where we have an old RI station and funny enough, is the home of Maytag.

[@krugcpa]

I looked at the various on-line sources for the Iowa Interstate diesel roster. I didn't see a single engine that ever was owned by the Rock Island. Why are you making this flat-out wrong claim?

[@jacehackworth6413]

@@krugcpa because I thought it was true dumbass. I read that somewhere and I know a lot of IAIS engines are older than the railroad itself and their whole line is former RI. It’s a pretty reasonable assumption even if you didn’t hear it from somebody else. If you want to correct me that’s fine but don’t ask in such an accusatory way implying I know what I’m saying is a lie as if there’s any reason to do that.

[@krugcpa]

@@jacehackworth6413 Your suggestion that half of the IAIS roster > 40 years old should have triggered a question in your mind. I suggest you remove your statement rather than attack me for calling you out. It takes no effort or time to check facts on the web first.

[@krugcpa]

@@jacehackworth6413 There is nothing reasonable about the assumption that half of the IAIS diesel roster > 40+ years old. Rather than attack me for calling you out: 1) remove your original and defensive statements, and 2) before making an unlikely assertion, do a couple minutes of homework first. "Dumbass?" Really?

[@densondirosa4497]

Hey Darkness, I wanted to commend you & your contributors for your presentations on our history, especially railroading history. Your views don’t appear to be scewed but shows an empathy & a truth based approach…. Something lacking in media today. Enjoy your content & please keep up the good work.

[@DominicMazoch]

One thing the Rock had over other western railroads. Their own route to Blue Island Yard. Direct exchange with some eastern roads without having sa belt or switching railroad doing the interchange in Chicago.

[@thundercreekcustoms]

This reminds me eerily of the downfall of Bethlehem Steel. A company that did not update with the times, lost to fierce competition, and was finally beheaded by poor union timing. Seems like history repeats itself...

[@michigandon]

Over 75% of the Mighty Good Roads original ROW remains in service to this day.

[@Vector_QF8]

Well done. Your videos are always engaging and informative. Thanks!

[@raymondpaller6475]

Cool video. Two things: 1) read once the observation that "The Chicago Rock Island & Pacific was a poor man's Chicago Burlington & Quincy." 2) That union boss Knoll was dying from terminal cancer, so when Carter issued the back to work order to the union, Knoll told Carter ----- not exact verbatim but close & certainly conveys the spirit in which it was spoken ------ Well, Mr. President, you can go to hell. Whaddaya gonna do, throw me in jail for contempt? I'm gonna die of cancer anyway. (Carter was in such bad shape politically in the upcoming 1980 election ----- among other things, Sen. Ted Kennedy openly challenged the sitting president for his own party's renomination ----- that Carter caved since was so scared of pissing off midwestern farm voters if their grain couldn't move). So one of the outside forces that pushed the RI to liquidation was a stagflation president worried about his re-election chances.

[@dknowles60]

the Rock was Fixable. the Fed Gov destroy the Rock With a Back to Work Order

[@paulboger3101]

From Australia, great video series!! I have only just discovered this channel, keep up the real good work!!

[@QuadMochaMatti]

It was a mighty good road, but if you want to ride it, you have to get your ticket at the station to ride on the Rock Island Line, or so I've heard. You can't be playing no Quad City DJs to get on board.

[@michigandon]

You gotta ride it like you find it!

[@dieselfarmer82]

Excellent episode! The Rock Island line was a mighty good road.

[@mr.j2776]

Thank you for sharing this interesting information on a railroad that has always intrigued me.

[@randomrobloxmagician]

Really enjoy these videos you have made on railroads like the Milwaukee, Erie Lackawanna, Penn Central and Rock Island, they are very informative and interesting. Could you in the future do a video on the Southern Pacific.

[@blindjustice8718]

I have to admit, as someone who has always looked down on the Rock Island as an inept clown show, this documentary has changed my opinion 180°. Of course, it also has firmly further entrenched my opinion of government and unions as inept clown shows. The C&NW is an interesting case in tangling up Midwest railroading. It was fighting to keep UP out of Chicago (eventually C&EI ---> MP ---> UP) while the UP was fighting to keep the C&NW out of Kansas City (eventually CGW ---> C&NW). This wasn't uncommon, though. Nobody wanted the Santa Fe in St. Louis, either.

[@brandonrichardson6750]

I Know the CEO Robert J Riley of the new Rock Island Railroad. Great guy to work with no nonsense. I am Happy to see his railroads grow. And the old Rock island Railroad in the late 70's got screwed by the government. I wonder what would have happened if they had try to merge with a east Railroad like the Southern or L&N

[@SouRwy4501Productions]

I guess we still have a Rock Island railroad in some twisted and convoluted way. The name Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific name, along with many locomotives, still exists.

[@dannyh.s.1936]

Can you do the Monon Railroad next?

[@0fficialdregs]

:O

[@trainglen22]

Sad, but the Rock Island railroad exists now as a short line that took over the name.

[@peterrosenquist]

You know after the Milwaukee Road video, I was wondering you would cover the Rock Island. Color me intrigued.

[@jwrailve3615]

I sure would’ve loved to seen rock island equipment in south Texas when it ran through Victoria back in the day.

[@mikebeall4205]

Guys at the local model train club tell stories about the rock island and many have pictures they took during the last few years as they watched the railroad disappear before their eyes

[@navalhistoryhub3748]

Phenomenal video as always! Could we get a video with you're take on that time that British Rail actually built a rollercoaster!

[@fanofeverything30465]

He already did that

[@georgelamore2140]

I was the last rock Island trained engineer working on the rock Island commuter service in Chicago when I retired in 2016..I started as a fireman in 1972 and was promoted to engineer in 1974 at 21 years old..I have good and bad memories, especially the downfall of the railroad march 31st, 1980 when we shut down for good.. took me 9 years to get back to running trains again..but retired as #1 in seniority march 1st, 2016..

[@brentboswell1294]

One result of the final liquidation of the Rock Island: the Southern Pacific was able to achieve one of their pipe dreams: reaching Chicago on their own tracks, as the Tucumcari-Chicago main went to them in the fire sale 🙂

[@packr72]

Not true, SP didn’t get their own connection into Chicago until they bought out the old GM&O. The Rico’s mainline through Illinois went to the Iowa Interstate.

[@dknowles60]

it went for a fire sale because the track was in very poor shape the SP spent millions of dollars rebuilding that line, it could be said he SP over paid

[@iannarita9816]

The SP still had to run 100 miles on ex Kansas Pacific, now UP, tracks from Topeka to Kansas City, to get to Kansas City.

[@garysprandel1817]

@@packr72 technically Iowa Interstate runs on trackage rights from LaSalle or Utica Illinois to Joliet on CSX and both on Metra from Joliet to Blue Island.

[@philiprizek6384]

I come from Belleville Kansas and The Rock Island used to and passenger service and freight there's even a pond called Rocky pond at the edge of town that they dug the draw water for their steam engines back in the day the town really boomed a lot of the houses in town or set up for boarding train passengers it's just really odd to go into some of those older houses and you can tell where they used to be all divided up I believe they're passenger service out of our town let's call The Rock Island rocket in every new venture in town is measured up to when the Rock Island was going through our town and every decline can be said it would be the worst thing but since the Rock Island left

[@SmokyHillsSwitcher]

Us on the Kyle Railroad call the track alongside it the “Ice Track” as they also used that pond for their refrigerated boxcars

[@AndrewTheRocketCityRailfan4014]

Makes Railfans wish the ICC wasn’t there.

[@brandonthedestroyer1140]

Agreed

[@fanofeverything30465]

Their power has now been hugely limited

[@garyolsen3409]

Makes me wish most govt. interference wasn't there at all. Govt regulation causes consumers to pay more for everything they buy.

[@AndrewTheRocketCityRailfan4014]

@@fanofeverything30465 Matter of fact the ICC was abolished in 1995 and now the STB approves mergers. Safe to say the ICC got the death it deserved for destroying America’s railroads and making our government look like neglectful parents to our railroads.

[@FDNY101202]

@@garyolsen3409 the government messes up everything they touch. Having worked in the Army I can confirm. I'm also fortunate enough to not have needed the VA for anything but the GI Bill.

[@JerzeyBoy]

The Rock, MILWAUKEE ROAD and NYC.RR are my favorite fallen flags.

[@roberthuron9160]

The same applied to the Milwaukee Road,as the BN, did a number on them!! Add the subsidies to the highways and airways,by the Federal Government,plus the demands that the railroads operate at a profit,the traps were set! So the beat goes on!! Thanks for a well laid out story,and total government ineptitude! Thank you 😇! 😇

[@dknowles60]

Miliwaukee did it to then Self's Bn did nothing to the Milwaukee as Bn spent a lot of time and money rebuilding it self for coal traffic. how young are you

[@gregginter5867]

TMR deferred maintenance for decades n scrapped their efficient electrified western routes that should’ve been expanded because their electric costs were much cheaper than diesel fuel. Bottom line, despite living in Milwaukee Co for 30yrs, TMR management were complete n total economic idiots! Oddly enough, when the local baseball team threatened to move to NC in 1991, many locals lamented, “But if that happened, Milwaukee would no longer be a major-league city!” I replied, “Milwaukee ceased being a major-league city when TMR shut down!” In the ‘50s, Milwaukee was the 10th largest city in America, had a great newspaper, hundreds of thousands of machine shop jobs, a tractor company, a RR repair company, n numerous factories! Anyone whom wanted a high-wage job, had one-even the thousands of black workers fr the south after their great migration in the ‘30s! Sadly, none of that is true any longer. Milwaukee could be a great city but after 100yrs of repressive Socialism n now incompetent Liberal-Dem political control, that day is far, far off…😢

[@wdd6864]

Love the videos. I loved the Reading Company. Can you review the Reading or the CNJ? Amazing history in it or at least the Crusader Train

[@antonbruce1241]

And for anyone interested in historical trivia....the CRI&P had a very good lawyer in the 1850's. In fact, many of that lawyer's won cases remained legal precedent for many decades. That lawyer was a man who later became President of the United States - his name was Abraham Lincoln.

[@tobystanton9645]

if you think the unions here were bad look at how bad they were in Britain during the 70s.

[@fanofeverything30465]

How bad were they

[@iron1349]

I do like how the new Rock Island is nowhere near Rock Island Illinois.

[@modelrailpreservation]

I'm with you on this one. I'm pro-union myself, but very anti-corruption and believe the price every unionized worker must pay for unionization is vigilance to ensure his or her union does not become corrupt, as the fact that unionized labor being necessary opens the door for individuals who would abuse that need for their own gains. Anyway, the way I see it, the BRAC effectively screwed its own members over, and in the end, screwed itself over. Those union members lost jobs they might have otherwise had. Wonder how much money they were making once they were unemployed?

[@urushira]

👍thank you!!!

[@Vector_QF8]

Thanks!

[@fanofeverything30465]

How are you able to put the JPG in your comment

[@richardfoster9499]

The rock island is my favorite railroad, I'm from Illinois where the rock ran until it shutdown March 1st 1980. I had a union pacific employee tell me the rock had people on there payroll that didn't exist, not sure how true that is. The rock could have been turned around still be here today

[@CynderHound]

I found a new favorite railroad

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

Hey Darkness, look into the Waco, Beaumont, Trinity and Sabine railroad. The W.B.T.&S. among other things never went to Waco or Beaumont and never crossed the Trinity or Sabine rivers.

[@markvogel5872]

Lol I recognized that one photo of the Independence loco! Cool to see it on this! Feel free to use any of the other photos I have on there!

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

Many marginal railroads had a like track structure that would handle a 50-ton car but not the weight of a modern steam locomotive. Therefore they could not afford nor upgrade their lines to accommodate modern Steam. With diesels the actual load is very low compared to steam so you could have a high horsepower locomotive without the stress on the track is steam engine would do. But as the freight cars got larger and larger two-track became insufficient to handle the traffic that it had. The whole railroad would have to be upgraded. There was neither the money nor the interest nor the traffic to support that. Like all marginal railroads deferred maintenance took it toll . It was built during the horse-and-buggy era and the truck took it traffic away. Frankly I wish we had no Interstate Road system nor an airplane system all traffic should be on the railroads where it should be mail including.

[@K8thebest_Gaming]

The Rock circa 1960: IM STILL STANDING

[@bwallace5945]

When the RI shut down every single loco that they owned was sent to their Main Shops in Silvis IL where they were sorted out by make & model. For some reason nobody wanted the Red & Yellow GE 6 axle U Boats even though they were not all that old as one can tell by the paint job on them. I remember seeing them in a scrap yard in I think Joliet IL.

[@0fficialdregs]

One of my favorite railroads of all time.behind some other Illinois Railroads

[@garysprandel1817]

CNW was the hometown road in the Chicago burbs for me but with family located 95 miles southwest on the Rock's Chicago main meant I grew up with the Rock as the second road in a young ferroequinologist's life. Commuter service was literally a working museum with 20s era Caponeliner that now serve in museum fleets all over the country. The outer terminal of the Rock's commuter service was literally an hour drive south of me but that youthful assurance that the Rock was always going to be there and the more pressing interest in cars and those of the female persuasion kept me from recording the Rock. BTW livery is pronounced liv ree not live ree.

[@MK-of7qw]

I really like new "The Rock" color scheme. That is a beautiful blue.

[@jeffreymcfadden9403]

Oh the incompetency of the Carter administration. I remember it well. I did see the Rock in operation in 1978.

[@terranengineer8877]

Didnt know much about the Rock Island. But this year Missouri State parks purchased the right of way of the Rock Island between Beaufort and Windsor Missouri. It's now being converted into a rail trail much like the Katy (MKT) line was. So at least the right of way will be utilized and preserved for future generations. It even has the longest trestle in the State just east of Freeburg and has 3 tunnels.

[@fanofeverything30465]

That's something

[@The_New_IKB]

Should have published the books in the news paper!

[@White-Wolf1969]

This story is a perfect example of why government intervention in business is a bad idea, and why America need to deregulate a lot of industries.

[@davidhollfelder9940]

Most railroads were a victim of “days gone by”. Deterioration, changes in future not seen and over supply caught up with them.

[@railfanmaximstill7279]

4:25 Update on that location it was recently upgraded

[@trainglen22]

Interesting that the Southern Pacific purchased the line between an interchange point to Chicago which is now owned by Union Pacific.

[@iannarita9816]

Rock Island and SP's main interchange was Tucumcari, NM

[@MK-of7qw]

The music used sounds like it is from the Railroad Tycoon 2 discs.

[@markh.6687]

I remember a friend's father who worked for the R.I. for decades. The shutdown and liquidation left the family scrambling to keep the bills paid for some time. I walked into a bank branch once while running errands to meet my friend's mother working as a teller. At the time I thought the new paint scheme was a waste of money, but at least 'the Rock' wasn't bought up by robber-baron financiers and stripped of cash and assets like other companies (Wisconsin Steel of Chicago, IL comes to mind) then shut down with worker's pension tied up in the courts for years. Instead they were (censored!) by the courts and their own receiver.

[@brandonthedestroyer1140]

Oh and the other thing all the other railroad companies basically told them that they WANTED THEM TO DIE!!!! WTF

[@russvoight1167]

A great blow to all railroads, especially the passenger lines, was the loss of US Mail cotracts

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

Back when we had union jobs and American-made cars and gas is cheap now we have none of those things. The memory of a prosperous America is as faded away as The Rock Island. Soon it will not even be a memory. In the future revisionist might consider it to be imaginary

[@fanofeverything30465]

It might come back

[@lonewolf_railfan5771]

5:30 that picture was taken in my town by the depot that’s a restaurant now

[@SmokyHillsSwitcher]

HOW THE HELL DID I MISS THIS ITS BEEN A MONTH AND THIS JUST NOW SHOWED UP IN MY RECOMMENDATIONS

[@animal16365]

Actually. The ICC did regulate trucking rates also.

[@fanofeverything30465]

Not as serverly though

[@robertwilloughby8050]

So, what is next? The failed Southern Pacific/Santa Fe merger? (Also known as Shouldn't Paint So Fast!) The Missouri Kansas Texas - the much loved Katy? The Reading Railroad? Illinois Central? (At times, the Katy's friendly enemy, at least in southern Illinois and Missouri) The Western Pacific?

[@railfanmaximstill7279]

8:09 CNW only did because they had an interchange point with the UP in Nebraska

[@GeneralJackRipper]

Unions represent the workers, but they also represent themselves.

[@Jamersonde]

Yikes... so the Rock Island was a victim of people ignoring them and jsut not wanting to deal with them... what a shame.

[@benjamin12v]

The are a couple of there old box cars in a persons yard around eastern okc and a caboose in Choctaw Oklahoma

[@calvingreene90]

All the unions that didn't cross the picket lines are equally guilty.

[@philiptrudel7994]

what is the music used in this video?

[@harrisonallen651]

Let’s go Rocko!

[@hurricanefury439]

what happened to rock island was unfair

[@TheOklahomaHotrail]

Hey lad can you do the story behind the story of the Golden State Route? RI and SP ran it together

[@ghostengineer]

I’ve always heard how the clerks was the downfall of the Rock. What a shame

[@robertwilloughby8050]

I wonder if the song "Rock Island Line" will make an appearance.....?😉

[@railfanmaximstill7279]

14:34 The Bankruptcy Blue Scheme

[@J50Fan20]

Even with the great depression, id argue that 1930s-1940s era of the Rock Island is when it was most "popular". When stacked up against the 70s and 80s, it was just too much. Weird example but:what a kid from the 1930s considered "fighting",is seen as more of Donald Duck when he gets angry. Thats basically what happened to the RI.

[@deepspire]

Chicago Pacific Corporation was purchased by Maytag Company to form Maytag Corporation.

[@lovesdogs8616]

I used to ride the Rock Island line from Council Bluffs, Iowa back to Rock Island when I was about 14. I dreamt about getting married to Capt Kirk and hopped back to the diner car often to get coffee and a donut.

[@0fficialdregs]

Could you cover the IC, CNW, SP, MRL, Wabash, and the Southern railway by any chance in the future. I would gladly send $50-$100 for those videos, since you go more in depth on certain railroad topics compared to some other youtubers. Anyways, lemonade, double cheeseburgers and a great video

[@The_New_IKB]

The ICC was the worse thing that happened to US railroading!

[@ohioandnortheastern]

I've seen two of there cars this year

[@michigandon]

I see "Rock Route" covered hoppers going by here at work quite often. Looking a bit worse for wear, but still soldiering on 40+ years after the fact!

[@fanofeverything30465]

Why

[@DominicMazoch]

RI had same line advantages Twin Cities to the Port of Houston. Grain coul come here bypassing Chicago! After its merger, BN had a like routing.

[@dknowles60]

history in the Dark is right about Unions

[@nathanlerma9891]

I know it's the holidays and you probably want to spend it with your son right now but before you do one last video idea for heroism of the rails Cyril Ellis the man who tried to prevent the Tangiwai disaster

[@fanofeverything30465]

What happened

[@nathanlerma9891]

@@fanofeverything30465 go check out thunderbolt 1000 siren productions video on the accident it's quite the story

[@fanofeverything30465]

What defines whether a railroad in America is a Class 1, 2 or 3 railroad

[@Nohab52offical]

In the thumbnail, i thught that the locomomotive down left had the roblox man face