Green Diamond
IC #121 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Milwaukee Road depot on April 24, 1936, prior to the inauguration of the Green Diamond.
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| First service | May 17, 1936 |
| Last service | May 19, 1968 |
| Successor | Governor's Special |
| Former operator(s) | Illinois Central Railroad |
The Green Diamond was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Illinois Central Railroad between Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. It operated from 1936 until 1968. It was the Illinois Central's first streamliner. Initially it operated with Illinois Central 121, the last of the 1930s fixed-consist articulated streamliners built in the United States. After 1947 it operated with more conventional streamlined equipment until its discontinuance. The name honored the "green diamond" in the Illinois Central's logo as well as the Diamond Special, the Illinois Central's oldest train on the Chicago-St. Louis run.
The Green Diamond first ran in regular service on May 17, 1936. It was the Illinois Central's first streamlined passenger train and proved popular with the traveling public to the point that demand outstripped the streamliner's fixed capacity. The Green Diamond covered the 294 miles (473 km) from Chicago to St. Louis in 4 hours 55 minutes, averaging 59 miles per hour (95 km/h). The Green Diamond required a single consist to operate, departing Chicago for St. Louis in the morning and returning that same evening. The name honored the "green diamond" in the Illinois Central's logo as well as the Diamond Special, the Illinois Central's oldest train on the Chicago-St. Louis run.
Conventional equipment with expanded seating capacity replaced the articulated streamliner in 1947. After the discontinuance of the Daylight and Night Diamond on October 27, 1958 the Green Diamond became the Illinois Central's last train between Chicago and St. Louis and its departure from St. Louis moved up to mid-afternoon. On May 20, 1968 the Illinois Central truncated it to Springfield, Illinois and renamed it the Governor's Special, a name which if nothing else suited the new terminus. The Green Diamond had operated just over 32 years. Amtrak did not continue the Governor's Special and it ended on April 30, 1971. However, Amtrak Lincoln Service has been provided along the route since 2006, as well as the longer route Texas Eagle since the 1980s.
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