The World's Longest Electrified Railroad [View all]

Last edited Sun Apr 12, 2020, 05:34 PM - Edit history (2)

Hello again DU'ers!

About two decades ago, I went on a road trip across the Pacific Northwestern U.S. to photograph what remained of what was once the world's longest electrified railroad, and thought I might share a few pics here for trivia's sake and to offer a little distraction from the somber news about the global pandemic.

The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, also known as the Milwaukee Road, was the last transcontinental railroad to be completed across the Western United States in 1909.

In 1914 it also became the only transcontinental railroad to be electrified. By 1927 approximately a third of the route between St. Paul & Seattle, a total of 660 route-miles, was under the wires - making it the world's longest mainline railroad electrification at the time!

For nearly six decades, smooth, silent hydroelectric power was used to power both passenger & freight trains through the Rocky & Cascade mountains of Montana, Idaho and Washington - with a fleet of 116 electric locomotives of five different types ultimately placed into service. There were two electrified sections - the 440 mile Rocky Mountain Division and the 207 mile Coast Division - separated by a 216 mile un-electrified section known as "The Gap".

In the 1970's the Milwaukee Road, facing bankruptcy, became interested in selling off instead of renewing the electrification assets and, in the midst of an oil embargo, made the controversial decision to phase out electric operations in June of 1974.

However the Milwaukee's pulling of the plug on its electric operations was to no avail. The railroad entered bankruptcy, and in March 1980 the Milwaukee Road abandoned its Pacific extension- thus becoming the largest railroad to disappear from the map of the United States.

In my pictures below (originally shot on Kodachrome 64 slide film and which can also be seen on my website, https://northamericabyrail.info/ ) I've attempted to show both what was lost and also what remains of the Milwaukee Road's Pacific extension:
The bridges, tunnels, and rights-of-way; the engines and rolling stock preserved in various museums; the stations that served the passengers and the substations that supplied the power - frozen in time waiting for a train that will never come.

Also - in addition to my pictures below - I've included links to vintage images from other photographers that I found on the web, so that viewers may do a "now versus then" comparison.

Hope you enjoy.

My photograph of a Milwaukee Road boxcab electric locomotive on display in Harlowton, MT. Harlowton was the beginning of the 440 mile electrified Rocky Mountain Division which extended to Avery, ID.


A vintage photograph of a pair of boxcabs in the Deer Lodge, MT locomotive shop - still in revenue service (photographer unknown)


My photograph of a Milwaukee Road shunting locomotive used at Deer Lodge, now on display in Harlowton, MT


A vintage photograph of the same Deer Lodge shop switcher in operation (photographer unknown)


My photograph of a Milwaukee Road wedge plow on display in Harlowton, MT


A vintage photograph of another plow when it was a functioning part of the Milwaukee's once-vast system (photographer unknown)


My photograph of the former Milwaukee Road roundhouse in Harlowton, MT - now a home for 4-legged horses instead of iron ones


A vintage photograph of the Harlowton Roundhouse serving in it's originally intended purpose (John Rust)


My photograph of the former Milwaukee Road engine facilities, water tower & freight yards at Harlowton, MT


A vintage photograph of the Milwaukee Road engine facilities at Harlowton, MT (Michael Sol)


My photograph of the old Milwaukee Road depot at Ringling, MT


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight passing the depot at Ringling, MT (Steve Schmollinger)


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road bridge over the Missouri River at Lombard, MT


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road passenger train crossing the bridge at Lombard, MT (Sanford Goodrick "Under Milwaukee Wires" )


My photograph of a Milwaukee Road class EF4 "Little Joe" electric locomotive on display in Deer Lodge, MT
(These General-Electric-built export locomotives, originally destined for Russia & named after Joseph Stalin, were undeliverable after the 1948 embargo of the Soviet Union so instead the Milwaukee Road bought them in 1950)


A vintage photograph of a pair of "Joe's" in revenue service at Deer Lodge, MT (photographer unknown)


My photograph of the east portal of the Milwaukee Road's old Pipestone Pass Tunnel


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight exiting the west portal of Pipestone Pass tunnel (Ron V Nixon "Museum of the Rockies" )


My photograph of an abandoned Milwaukee Road boxcar at Vendome, MT


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Rd freight beginning its climb to the continental divide at Vendome, MT (John Dziobko)


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road depot in Missoula, MT


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight passing the Missoula depot (photographer unknown)


My photograph of a Milwaukee Road bay window caboose on display at Alberton, MT


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road bay window caboose in operation (photographer unknown)


My photograph of a Wylie Controller from a "Little Joe" electric locomotive on display in the Alberton Museum
(Named for its inventor, Milwaukee Road electrical engineer Lawrence Wylie, this controller enabled the Little Joe electric locomotives to run together in multiple unit lashups with diesels)


A vintage photograph inside the cab of a "Joe", the Wylie controller's handle is immediately to the left of the two gauges (used to show traction motor amperage and train speed) (photographer unknown)


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road depot in Alberton, MT


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight passing the depot in Alberton, MT (Ron V Nixon "Museum of the Rockies" )


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road trestle at Saltese, MT


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight crossing the trestle at Saltese, MT (Chris Bradley)


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road's Dominion Creek trestle at Bryson, MT


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight crossing the Dominion Creek trestle at Bryson, MT (photographer unknown)


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road's St Paul Pass tunnel at East Portal, MT


A vintage photograph of a set of Milwaukee Road engines running light at East Portal, MT (Bill Hooper)


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road's St Paul Pass tunnel at Roland, ID


A vintage photograph of the Milwaukee Road's St Paul Pass tunnel at Roland, ID (Ron V Nixon "Museum of the Rockies" )


My photograph of Milwaukee Road trestles in the Bitterroot mountains, St Paul Pass, ID


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight crossing a trestle in the Bitterroots (Michael Sol)


My photograph of a Milwaukee Road Tunnel in the Bitterroots


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road Tunnel in the Bitterroots (Victor Hand)


My photograph of the old Milwaukee Road depot at Avery, ID


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight passing the depot at Avery, ID (Steve Schmollinger)


My photograph of the site of the former Milwaukee Road yard & right of way at Avery, ID


A vintage photograph of the Milwaukee Rd yard at Avery, ID, with tracks and trolley poles still in place (photographer unknown)


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road trestle over Lake Chatcolet. This location was in the un-electrified gap between the electrified Rocky Mountain and Coast Divisions.


A vintage photograph of the Milwaukee Road trestle over Lake Chatcolet (photographer unknown)


My photograph of the former Milwaukee Road yard at St Maries, ID, now in use by the St Maries River RR


A vintage photograph of the Milwaukee Road yard at St Maries, ID (photographer unknown)


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road bridge over the Columbia River at Beverly, WA. This was part of the Coast Division electrification.


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight crossing the bridge over the Columbia River at Beverly, WA (Rob Leachman)


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road substation at Cle Elum, WA
(These substations converted 100,000 volts AC from the hydro companies into 3,000 volts DC for the locomotives)


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight passing the substation at Cle Elum, WA (photographer unknown)


My photograph of the Milwaukee Road's Snoqualmie tunnel


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road freight exiting the tunnel at Snoqualmie, WA (photographer unknown)


My photograph of a Milwaukee Road trestle in Snoqualmie Pass


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road passenger train crossing a trestle in Snoqualmie Pass (photographer unknown)


My photograph of Seattle's Union Station


A vintage photograph of a Milwaukee Road passenger train departing Seattle's Union Station (Michael Sol)