The Zephyr Rocket was an overnight passenger train operated jointly by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad ("Burlington Route") and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad ("Rock Island Lines") between Saint Louis, Missouri and the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, with major intermediate stops in Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Waterloo, Iowa. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy carried the train between St. Louis and Burlington, while the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific carried it between Burlington and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Motive power and equipment were pooled and traveled the entire distance without change.

The trains, with coaches and sleeping cars, started operating on January 7, 1941.^[1] They also carried round-end observation cars with the train's name emblazoned on the rear for several years.

The train was named by combining the nicknames of the operating railroads' passenger train fleets: The passenger trains of the Burlington Route were called Zephyrs, while those of the Rock Island Lines were called Rockets, hence Zephyr Rocket.

In 1964 the train was still earning money above its direct costs, at least for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.^[2]^: 108 In 1967 the train, by then coaches-only, was discontinued, with the last trains departing on April 8 and arriving at their respective end points the following morning.^[2]^: 113

Reinstatement of direct passenger rail service between the Twin Cities and St. Louis is infeasible on the original route, as a key part of it, between Burlington and Cedar Rapids, was abandoned when the Rock Island ceased operations in 1980. Portions of this section have been converted to bicycle/hiking trails. Although service could be run on an alternative routing (e.g. via Twin Star Rocket route; or by combining Zephyr Rocket and Twin Star Rocket routes).

References

^ "Zephyr Rocket Consists". Rock Island Technical Society. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
^ ^a ^b Frailey, Fred W. (1998). Twilight of the Great Trains. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89024-178-3.

v t e Named trains of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Zephyrs	Advance Texas Zephyrs Afternoon Zephyr Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr American Royal Zephyr California Zephyr Denver Zephyr General Pershing Zephyr Kansas City Zephyr Mark Twain Zephyr Morning Zephyr Nebraska Zephyr Ozark State Zephyr Pioneer Zephyr Sam Houston Zephyr Silver Streak Zephyr Texas Zephyr Twin Cities Zephyr Zephyr Connection Zephyr Rocket
Other named trains	Adventureland Ak-Sar-Ben American Royal Aristocrat Atlantic Coast Limited Black Hawk The Buffalo Bill Chicago Limited Chicago-Nebraska Limited Colorado Limited Denver Limited Exposition Flyer Fast Mail General Custer Gulf Coast Special Minnesota Limited Missouri Limited Nebraska-Chicago Limited Night Hawk Overland Express Shoshone St. Louis Limited Texas Rocket Twin City Limited Yellowstone Park Train
Operated with GN & NP	Atlantic Express Empire Builder Great Northern Express Mainstreeter Mississippi Valley Express North Coast Limited Northern Pacific Express Oriental Limited Pacific Express Puget Sound Express Southeast Express Western Star

v t e Named trains of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
Rockets	Choctaw Rocket Corn Belt Rocket Des Moines Rocket Golden Rocket Jet Rocket Kansas City Rocket Oklahoma Rocket Quad Cities Rocket Rock Island Rockets Rocky Mountain Rocket Texas Rocket Twin Star Rocket Zephyr Rocket
Other named trains	Arizona Limited Californian Cherokee Chicago-Hot Springs Limited Choctaw Limited Colorado Express Des Moines-Omaha Limited Firefly Golden State Golden State Limited Imperial Iowa-Nebraska Limited Mid-Continent Special Rocky Mountain Limited Sam Houston Zephyr Short Line Express Twin Cities Express