SMALL BEGINNINGS.

The legislation establishing Amtrak provided for state departments of transportation to add trains paid for with state money using Amtrak's rolling stock.  The first such state-supported train was called the Lake Shore, filling in a major void in the national network, namely the old Water Level Route.  That venture didn't last very long, as the state governments couldn't get their act together on continuing payments.  Such is still the case, with Indiana and Ohio being reluctant to put money into Passenger Rail, while New York will put up money in some cases.  Subsequently, the Lake Shore became a formal part of Amtrak's national network, while the Broadway Limited became a mail train with a sleeping car, and some of the trackage it used was sold to a regional carrier.

Fifty years ago, what seemed like an obscure operation began.  Among the passenger trains that ceased operation with the coming of Amtrak were the remnants of the Chicago - Kansas City American Royal Zephyr, known unofficially at the time as the Chicago - West Quincy Quincy Local.  Its discontinuance at the beginning of May stranded collegians in Macomb and Quincy, and a court ordered its continued operation until Memorial Day or so.  (I'm told that for a while, some of the Chicago - Geneva scoots operated by Chicago and North Western continued to DeKalb.   I wonder if that was under similar circumstances.)

The scoots never returned to DeKalb, but with the coming of the first Amtrak-as-Amtrak timetable in November, 1971, the Illinois Zephyr became the first Illinois-supported train.

When the court vacated the injunction on May 10, 1971, the “Quincy Local” service was discontinued, and the battle shifted to the state legislature.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $4 million in funding for extension of rail passenger lines eliminated when the new Amtrak system became effective May 1, The Herald-Whig said in a June 3, 1971, article, and after the final legislation was approved, the Illinois Zephyr began operations.

Quincy became the western terminus for the Illinois Zephyr on May 1, 1994, after flooding damaged the West Quincy station in July 1993.

The trains still deadhead to West Quincy to turn.  As of October, 2006, a second train began running on the Quincy line.  I have not yet seen announcements of a third train for Thanksgiving break.