At Fort Worth, travelers could connect with the Texas Chief, but doing so required an overnight layover.

[1]: 60 In March 1974, the train was extended from Fort Worth to St. Louis via Dallas, following the route of the former Missouri Pacific Texas Eagle.

[2] In October 1979, budget cuts forced Amtrak to combine the Inter-American with the Chicago-Houston Lone Star (formerly the Texas Chief).

The merged train retained the Inter-American name, changed from thrice-weekly to daily, and added a Houston section which split in Temple.

[1]: 61 On October 1, 1981, Amtrak, once again forced to make service cuts, truncated the Inter-American to San Antonio and eliminated the Houston section.