Nostalgia & History > Iowa Division Milwaukee Memories

This line never did receive much coverage compared to other routes, but it was the Milwaukee line that I grew up with and it's long gone now. In most places today you can't even tell where the track ever was. Next to the Rock Island, the Milwaukee was my favorite midwestern railroad, and remains so today.

The first two shots are of westbound train #61 taken east of, and at Martelle, Iowa. The three GP40's were common power for this train, but today it also has a set of ex Southern SD24's in tow. Both photo's by G.L. Williams

The last shot is of westbound train #61 as well on another day taken near Paralta, Iowa. I miss this line dearly and it never should of been torn up.

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A few Milwaukee FM's at Savanna, Illinois. These were neat looking engines. Wish they would have lasted a little longer than they did. All shots by G.L. Williams

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Power at Marion, Iowa, and at Savanna, Illinois. G.L. Williams photo's

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Lets save Number One for last. Again, this is Savanna back in the day. Farewell Milwaukee Road! G.L. Williams photo.

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Great photos and thanks for posting those! Man look at how bad the brush is already in that first one.

Andy

These pics bring back a lot of good memories and thanks for posting them. Wonder what 86A (next to last shot) ran into to get spattered like that...a paint truck?

Any pics at Atkins?

Those FM engines look like they had the best sprung, softest riding trucks of ANY diesel locomotive ever built!

Number 1 is an FP45. The Milwaukee had only five. Do any survive?

The only other road to have FP45s was the Santa Fe with 9. A handful survive and the one at Orange Empire operates.


Marty Bernard

Thanks for these. I am guessing these were taken in the late 1970's. Hard to believe that a scant 15 years earlier, this line was still hosting three passenger trains per day in each direction, two of which were UP "City" Domeliners (combined "City of Denver" and "City of Portland", and the combined "City of Los Angeles", "City of San Francisco", and Challenger).

What's all over the 86a unit? Looks like the starlings bombed it!! Keep the great pics coming please, Ken

CNW8531 Wrote:
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> A few Milwaukee FM's at Savanna, Illinois. These
> were neat looking engines. Wish they would have
> lasted a little longer than they did. All shots by
> G.L. Williams

528?

What am I missing? My roster shows H16-66's were numbered 547-555, and that 524-529 were unassigned but would have fit between SD7's and SD9's.

John

John,

From what I can tell the H16-66s were renumbered but stayed in the 500 series. The BLW AS616 were also in the 500 series. So they are easy to mix up.

Marty

Thanks Gay and Angus. You know me...this hits home.

MILW86A

Posted from Android

one thing about the MILW 2041 West Angus, 61 became Train 221 after December 1, 1974. So its either 221 or secondary freight 223 that Gay took. 220 was the EB UP Train, 222 the secondary train by that time.

Dave

Here is an EB at Martelle from the Hwy 1 Overpass. Train 286 from 8-12-78. Mike and Mark Nelson photo.

MILW86A

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MILW86A Wrote:
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> Here is an EB at Martelle from the Hwy 1 Overpass.
> Train 286 from 8-12-78. Mike and Mark Nelson
> photo.
>
> MILW86A

Hello all,

Kinda odd to see the SD10 in the coal train's locomotive consist, it usually had a mix of BN & MILW 6-axle GEs.

Take care,

Mark

The Wisconsin Central did have one or two FP45's that were painted in WC colors......They also had one ex. EL SDP45.

Part of this line DOES survive albeit as a BNSF branch.....

Castle_Romeo Wrote:
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> The Wisconsin Central did have one or two FP45's
> that were painted in WC colors

This one unit was ex-ATSF according to Diesel Shop. http://www.thedieselshop.us/

Marty Bernard

Thanks for the photos. I rode a train on this route (Idaho to New York) in 1958 when I was 12 years old. My dad worked got PFE here in Nampa, Idaho and got a free pass to ride on Union Pacific, I think he paid half fare on other lines. The Milwaukee segment train was a slow train and had a long string of refers behind the passenger cars. At the time, I didn't know what the Milwaukee Road was until this trip. Milwaukee locomotives showed up sometime on the Portland Rose here in Nampa. I have not seen many photos of this line.