Milwaukee Road locomotives
Class L-1 2-8-2 No. 2502 was built in 1909 by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. It was renumbered 8502 in 1912 and 752 in 1938 and scrapped in 1945. There were 20 locomotives in the class, the last retired in 1954. Classic Trains collection
Class S-1 4-8-4 No. 251 stands for its builder’s portrait at Milwaukee in 1938. It was the first locomotive built in Milwaukee since 1914. Classic Trains collection
Unique “Bi-polar” electric locomotive E4 rests at Harlowton, Mont., after removal from train 16 in October 1958. The motor carries the Union Pacific’s yellow-and-gray paint as a nod to the railroads’ cooperation on passenger trains east of Council Bluffs, Iowa, beginning in 1955. Philip C. Johnson collection
The end is near for the Milwaukee Road’s “Little Joe” electrics as four sit dead at the east end of the Deer Lodge, Mont., yard in June 1974. The railroad dropped its last wires that year. One of the locomotives, E70, is preserved and displayed in Deer Lodge. Jim Farrell photo
Fairbanks-Morse H10-44 switcher No. 1808 was built in November 1945 and retired in October 1981. The 1,000-hp switcher was among 72 FM switchers on the roster, 48 of which generated 1,200 hp. Classic Trains collection
Fairbanks-Morse built 20 so-called “Erie-Built” passenger diesels for the Milwaukee Road at General Electric’s Erie, Pa., assembly plant between 1946 and 1948. The 2,000-hp units were assembled in six A-B-A sets and one A-A set. Here, No. 5 rests at Milwaukee’s Everett Street Station. Classic Trains collection
EMD F7 No. 68 was one of 102 of the model on the Milwaukee’s roster, including B units. It is pictured new outside EMD’s La Grange, Ill., assembly plant in summer 1950. Classic Trains collection
Milwaukee Road President William J. Quinn, left, stands with Chief Mechanical Officer F. A. Upton beside new EMD GP30 diesel locomotives. The railroad had 16 of the 2,250-hp model, built in two batches in 1963. They rode on AAR Type B trucks removed from Alco roadswitchers. Milwaukee Road photo
Alco RSC-2 No. 594 works at La Crosse, Wis., in January 1976. The railroad had 22 such units built 1946-1947 and generating 1,500 hp. They were built A-1-A trucks with the center axle unpowered. This reduced weight on the rail and made them better suited to branchline trackage. Stan Mailer photo
All through November, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the multi-faceted Milwaukee Road. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Milwaukee Road selected from the image archives of Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library.
The Milwaukee Road operated with steam, electric, and diesel motive power in its Midwest-to-Northwest service area. There are examples in each type of particular note. The railroad rostered high-stepping streamlined passenger locomotives on its famed Hiawatha passenger fleet and brawny 4-8-4s on fast freights, one of which, No. 261, is preserved operational in Minneapolis. Its electrics operated in two regions, the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains, and had colorful names like “Bi-polars” and “Little Joes.” Its diesels largely reflected the times in which they were constructed, but some branchline-designed models are held dear by fans of the road.
