Nostalgia & History > Time for a Milwaukee Road break

Well, after scanning many family slides today, I deserve a break. It's Miller time! Wait, no. Milwaukee Road time. Yeah! Here we have SD45 #4000 in June of 1973. IMHO, this was the Milwaukee Road's best paint scheme for their freight locomotives. The only things I'd add would be a white reflective frame stripe, and ditch lights.

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Here we have SD40-2 #24. The last time I saw the 24 it was a rusting hulk at the Soo Line's Shoreham yard near Minneapolis. Maybe it was in a wreck? Don't know. It sure looked rough though.
The second image is a clean FP45 #3. These looked better in orange & black than the UP inspired passenger colors she wore when built. But that's just my opinion.
The final shot is of U30C 5651. Wouldn't it be cool if one could do models with open hood doors, and a detailed engine visible inside? Is the 5651 coupled to a FM or Baldwin switcher?

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Last image is of SD40-2 196. I think she needs a bath. I wonder how it could have gotten so dirty like that? An avalanche while it was passing through a deep cut? Probably lack of ballast on the Milwaukee's track blowing up dirt and mud as she worked some train.

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alco636 Wrote:
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> Is the 5651
> coupled to a FM or Baldwin switcher?


That would be a Baldwin S-12. The raised handrail behind the cab indicates pneumatic MU throttle control which would put it in the 900-914 series or the 925. Probably one of the lower numbers, due to the narrow frame siderails (the lower black stripe on the carbody).

Edit: Rule out the 925 - Though she had a pneumatic throttle, she lacked MU connections and thus had a different handrail configuration.

Nice shots, where were they taken?

I lived in Marion, IA on the Iowa Div. As a kid, I saw mostly GP40's, GP35's, and GP30's on freights. Once in a while a six axle, including the FP's. I have a train sheet from Perry,IA from February 1973 that had a SD45 and a FP45 on train #61.

Anyone have photos they would like to share of the PNC ex-SOU SD24's on the MILW? I recall seeing them in Marion 1978-79'ish.

MILW86A

Most shots were from the Twin Cities area. The 24 was in Bensenville, the 3's location is unknown.

MILW86A Wrote:
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> Nice shots, where were they taken?
>
> I lived in Marion, IA on the Iowa Div. As a kid, I
> saw mostly GP40's, GP35's, and GP30's on freights.
> Once in a while a six axle, including the FP's. I
> have a train sheet from Perry,IA from February
> 1973 that had a SD45 and a FP45 on train #61.
>
> Anyone have photos they would like to share of the
> PNC ex-SOU SD24's on the MILW? I recall seeing
> them in Marion 1978-79'ish.
>
> MILW86A

Here are three more classic Milwaukee Road images.

#1 FP7 98A at St. Paul, MN 1975.

#2 GP9 293 on the Ford Line. (it's future may be in doubt with the plant closing)

#3 A unique Milwaukee Road hump set. TR2A-F7B-TR2B.

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Photo #3 almost makes me think this is a transfer run and not in hump service.

Butch,,,,,,,here we go

You could be right. But if memory serves me right, it is on the correct set of tracks leading to the St. Paul hump. East of the photo's location, there was a CRI&P bridge to their Inver Grove Yard. Transfer or Hump Set? Not sure. Anyone have a idea? Thanks in advance.

alco636 Wrote:
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> You could be right. But if memory serves me right,
> it is on the correct set of tracks leading to the
> St. Paul hump. East of the photo's location, there
> was a CRI&P bridge to their Inver Grove Yard.
> Transfer or Hump Set? Not sure. Anyone have a
> idea? Thanks in advance.


The tracks under the consist are definitely the hump leads, and the Milwaukee frequently used such a combination of power as a hump set, sometimes using TR2's in combination with GP9's as well. TR2's rarely left Pigs Eye, the primary transfer power being Baldwin AS-616's. When there were more transfers to be run than than the AS-616's could handle transfers were often powered by GP9's, covered wagons, H16-44's, Erie builts, or whatever combination of such units as the roundhouse could put together. In their final years, the AS-616's were given PG governors and could then be pooled with the other units.

Here's one of the AS-616's at the location that is now the Franklin Ave Station of the Minneapolis Lite Rail. <Sigh>

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