Pre-Amtrak The
Alton Railroad inaugurated the
Ann Rutledge in 1937 as a companion to the
Abraham Lincoln over the St. Louis–Chicago route. The Alton named the train after
Ann Rutledge, a woman from
New Salem, Illinois, who may have been the first love of
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. The
Ann Rutledge used the
Lincoln's original lightweight equipment set, while the
Lincoln received a matching set originally used by the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's (B&O)
Royal Blue. The
Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad (GM&O) continued the
Ann Rutledge upon its merger with the Alton in 1947. The GM&O ended the
Ann Rutledge on April 27, 1958. In 2009, Amtrak consolidated the
Ann Rutledge,
Kansas City Mule, and the
St. Louis Mule under the new name
Missouri River Runner. In May 2022, Amtrak quietly returned the Chicago-Kansas City via St Louis route under the name
Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner, a combination of the names of the two services. == References ==