Twin Star Rocket

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Twin Star Rocket

Postcard with a image of the Twin Star Rocket.
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Midwestern United States/Southwestern United States
First service	1945
Last service	1967
Former operator(s)	Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
Route
Termini	Minneapolis, Minnesota Houston, Texas
Stops	26 intermediate stops
Distance travelled	1,363 mi (2,194 km)
Average journey time	25 hours, 50 minutes, southbound; 25 hours, 40 minutes, northbound
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	507 (southbound) and 508 (northbound)
On-board services
Seating arrangements	Coach
Sleeping arrangements	Roomettes and double bedrooms
Catering facilities	Dining car
Observation facilities	Parlor lounge observation car (1957)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map v t e Legend Minneapolis St. Paul Northfield Faribault Owatonna Albert Lea Minnesota Iowa Manly Mason City Iowa Falls Des Moines Iowa Missouri Trenton Excelsior Springs Kansas City Missouri Kansas Lawrence Topeka Herington Wichita Caldwell Kansas Oklahoma Enid El Reno Chickasha Duncan Waurika Oklahoma Texas Fort Worth Dallas Waxahachie Corsicana Teague Houston

The Twin Star Rocket was a passenger train operated by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Introduced on January 14, 1945, it was the only new streamlined train permitted to enter service in World War II by the U.S. government.^[1] The new train became the second longest north–south train itinerary under the management of a single railroad in the United States (and the longest measured by great circle distance) with its northern terminal at the Milwaukee Road’s Minneapolis depot and southern terminal 1,363 miles (2,194 km) away at Houston, Texas.^[2] The name of the new streamlined train was derived from its terminal states—Texas being known as the Lone Star State and Minnesota as the North Star State.