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Announced Date: | Jan 2023 |
Released Date: | Oct 2023 |
Individually Boxed: | Yes |
SET INCLUDES:
While they were a mere shadow of what the trains had been in their heyday, the Rock Island's Rockets were still unique and interesting trains right up to the very end in 1978. Limping along on worn out track, struggling with aging and failing equipment, the trains were both loathed and loved. They lost too much money to keep, but cost too much in government support to abandon. So the Rock Island kept the Rockets rolling through the 70s, well after most roads had completely abandoned their passenger trains or turned them over to Amtrak. By 1976, only two Rockets remained: the Peoria and Quad Cities, which connected Chicago with Peoria and Rock Island respectively. Dining car service ended in 1975 when the last diner's frame gave in. The trains were down to an E8 and a pair of coaches with food service handled out of one of the cars. Stopping the train to run to a local diner for passengers when Chicago hadn't stocked enough sandwiches was one of the quirky stories that helped define the character of these neversay- die trains. Despite all the poor conditions and average ridership of 17 people per day, the crews of the Rock Island did what they could. For all their faults, the final years of the Rockets make interesting trains for a model railroad. The 652's Bicentennial paint scheme was certainly a bright spot and was just one of a variety of colorful liveries to pull the train in the end. Short consists make it perfect for smaller layouts. And the stories told of the trains unique service, like stopping the train a few blocks from the station to give a passenger a shorter walk home, just add to the charm. Short and sweet, this Lionel train includes everything you need to model the Rocket, including a LEGACY E8 652 and a pair of 21" coaches.
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