I really enjoyed watching your Hiawatha. It was one of my favorite trains to ride "back in the day." I worked in the Winona, MN Milwaukee Road station back then. Back then, railroad personnel sold tickets and made reservations for AMTRAK passengers. It was part of the Yard Clerk's duties. I also enjoyed seeing "Old Schnozzel Nose". I never saw it in real life.
My only "good" pre-Amtrak memory was waiting for the Milwaukee in Perry to pick up my uncle Christmastime 1970... I was 5, but I seem to remember an orange & black F7(?) followed what were yellow E units. It was well over an hour late, guessing maybe had some problems in Omaha(which could explain the freight F in the lead). Wish I had photos!!!
Your layout looks absolutely stunning. I am hoping Walthers will one day release the Olympian Hiawatha. I know that train would be out of your era with it discontinued by 1968, but would love to have it.
I appreciate your nice comment. I'm modeling the 1960's up to 1970, so the Olympian Hiawatha would be a welcome addition on my layout. Thank you for watching! Mike
The Milwaukee Road ran the Olympic Hiawatha between Chicago and Tacoma-Seattle. The last westbound run, pulled by a pair of FP7's, pulled into Seattle's Union Station on 5-24-61, long before the railroad acquired FP45's. The only MLW FP45 I ever saw was trailing a Geep on an eastbound freight crossing the viaduct over US 195 at Rosalia, WA. in the spring of 1969, my freshman year at Washington State University (Go Cougs!). The freight was pulled by only the two units, which were coupled elephant style. The FP45 had already been repainted into freight colors.
The Milwaukee Road adopted the UP paint scheme for their passenger trains when they began handling the "Cities Streamliners" for the UP on the eastern end of their journey between Omaha and Chicago in the late 1950's. Thank you for watching the video. Mike
When I look at something like this, I can't help but feel that the post-WWII American public was sold an outright bill of goods. We had the automobile and interstate highway system practically crammed down our throats to the point where in most of the US one HAS to have a car or they simply cannot get around. Aforementioned interstate highway system is now falling apart thanks in large part to the ever-increasing size of semi-tractor trailer rigs. In 1945, we had THE BEST rail network in the world. In two decades' time, we'd practically thrown it all away. Now it seems like we have the best Rail-to-Trail network of anywhere in the world but I don't think that's anything to be proud of. Judging from the HUGE numbers of model railroaders (and rail fans in general) out there, I think that, were we possessed of a government that actually listened to the will of the people, things would've turned out far differently for the railroads. Instead, US transportation is just like election time: very limited choices to no choices at all. Taking US Mail off the trains was a huge mistake and a lot of why the USPO is so inefficient and slow now. I don't have room for model trains, but in order to stay even half-way functional and sane in 2017 America, I have to often fantasize that these classic railroads are still around and operating both freight and passenger trains profitably. Besides the CRI&P, the New York Central is my other favorite railroad. Thank you for providing me some pleasure here as an escape from an unattractive reality. Sincerely, Brandt
Hi Brandt - Thank you for your comments and I am glad that you enjoy the videos. I love model railroading and have had a soft spot in my heart for the Rock Island since it's demise in 1980. I'll have to admit that my model railroad provides me with a nice escape from some of today's realities. Thanks much for watching! Mike
Well put, Brandt. My dad worked for the NP until just after the merger in 1970. I saw the passenger service slowly decline, as I had a family railroad pass to go anywhere between Chicago and Seattle (lived in St. Paul, except three years in Duluth 1951-54). Could take the Mainstreeter (1 and 2) anytime, but could only ride North Coast Limited (25 and 26) once annually. Your comment about the USPS contract for hauling first-class mail is correct. The Post Office should have left the trains haul that mail, while planes handled mail to places the trains couldn't go. Back in 1960, my family took a ride on the Mainstreeter from St. Paul to Perham. The consist was 20 cars long, and at least 12 cars were US Mail and Railway Express Agency. When that died - oh well, you know. When that contract ended, so died REA and, to some extent, Western Union. Now I get into a car and have some phony "I'm a Cowboy" yah-hoo in a super-lift pickup, in Phoenix, whip me off for driving too slow. Like 70 mph in a 65-mile zone. Good read again thanks .... Mark
BeerLine Modeler - The prototype Hiawatha was an impressive train that left quite an impression on me. I was glad to be able to model it and try to preserve an image of it in HO scale. Thank you for watching and commenting. Mike
Nicely done. Relating the history of the head end power to the downturn in passenger train travel puts the 7 minutes in perspective. (Freight trains always ham up the shot!)
Quite ironic that many railroads upgraded their motive power with the purchase of more powerful passenger diesels just as passenger service was being cut back with fewer and shorter trains. Shout out to Kevin Renner: GO COUGS! I am a '72 graduate of WAZZU, having lived in Rogers and Stephenson South with views of the NP's P&L Line at the time of the BN merger.
What was Milwaukee Road's attitude towards passenger service? I've read some roads were pro-passenger (B&O, Santa Fe, Seaboard Coast Line) and then there were Southern Pacific, Missouri Pacific and, predictably, Penn Central.
Hi Tommy - I'm not exactly sure what the Milwaukee Road's attitude was toward passenger service, but I think it was reasonably decent. I say this because the equipment operated with the several passenger trains they were running up to the Amtrak takeover seemed to be clean and in good condition and the crack Twin Cities Hiawatha's were nice trains up to the end. I'd like to believe that the Milwaukee Road personnel took pride in their passenger train operations right up to the end. Thanks for watching! Mike
A lot of the pro passenger lines had good quality trains and were actually profitable. A railroad you didn’t mention was the Great Northern and how trains like the empire builder were luxury compared to the broadway limited on the Penn Central, it’s a shame though a lot of them were too far gone to profit off passenger trains.
@@Metal9040 Southern Railway stayed out of Amtrak for most of the 70s and continued to run their own trains, most notably the Southern Crescent and the Washington/Atlanta, Piedmont. I rode the SR version a couple of times. It was the best American passenger train running, IMO, much better than early Amtrak.
Tommy Thomason The Southern was another I didn’t mention, I heard that when they shared trains with Amtrak in the early days that the Amtrak rolling stock was often in too bad shape and the Southern refused to handle them.
Hi Farmer Dave - Yes, the FP45 locomotives are Athearn and all but one of the cars are Walthers. The baggage car is a Rapido model. Thanks for watching. Mike
Quite ironic that many railroads upgraded their motive power with the purchase of more powerful passenger diesels just as passenger service was being cut back with fewer and shorter trains. Shout out to Kevin Renner: GO COUGS! I am a '72 graduate of WAZZU, having lived in Rogers and Stephenson South with views of the NP's P&L Line at the time of the BN merger.
I really enjoyed watching your Hiawatha. It was one of my favorite trains to ride "back in the day." I worked in the Winona, MN Milwaukee Road station back then. Back then, railroad personnel sold tickets and made reservations for AMTRAK passengers.
It was part of the Yard Clerk's duties.
I also enjoyed seeing "Old Schnozzel Nose". I never saw it in real life.
I appreciate your comments and your story about working in a passenger station …… what a memory. Thanks for taking the time to watch the video. Mike
thanks for a little history into MILW passenger trains, nice to see it living again if only in HO scale. Very nice, Cheers Rob
Thanks, Rob. I appreciate your comments and your taking the time to watch the video. Mike
My only "good" pre-Amtrak memory was waiting for the Milwaukee in Perry to pick up my uncle Christmastime 1970... I was 5, but I seem to remember an orange & black F7(?) followed what were yellow E units. It was well over an hour late, guessing maybe had some problems in Omaha(which could explain the freight F in the lead). Wish I had photos!!!
Living near the Rock Island, I probably saw a few "Rockets" in their last days but just don't remember enough about them that made an impression...
I have number 2 in the orange and black paint
It's good that the railway express cars are not in the train
Simply the BEST! I can see you have a good eye for correct detail...
I appreciate your comments and thank you very much! Mike
Like the matching consist! Lose the Rapido Baggage. Wouldn't a better choice be the Walthers baggage with the baggage man's window?
I've got the Walthers baggage car with the baggage man's porthole window ......... it just wasn't included in this particular consist.
Your layout looks absolutely stunning. I am hoping Walthers will one day release the Olympian Hiawatha. I know that train would be out of your era with it discontinued by 1968, but would love to have it.
I appreciate your nice comment. I'm modeling the 1960's up to 1970, so the Olympian Hiawatha would be a welcome addition on my layout. Thank you for watching! Mike
Kevin: Love the avatar. I'm a Coug from the class of 1972.
Love that NP icon!
The Milwaukee Road ran the Olympic Hiawatha between Chicago and Tacoma-Seattle. The last westbound run, pulled by a pair of FP7's, pulled into Seattle's Union Station on 5-24-61, long before the railroad acquired FP45's. The only MLW FP45 I ever saw was trailing a Geep on an eastbound freight crossing the viaduct over US 195 at Rosalia, WA. in the spring of 1969, my freshman year at Washington State University (Go Cougs!). The freight was pulled by only the two units, which were coupled elephant style. The FP45 had already been repainted into freight colors.
It’s funny how the Milwaukee Road & The Union Pacific have the same paint scheme.
The Milwaukee Road adopted the UP paint scheme for their passenger trains when they began handling the "Cities Streamliners" for the UP on the eastern end of their journey between Omaha and Chicago in the late 1950's. Thank you for watching the video. Mike
THANK YOU...for sharing.
Thank you very much! Mike
When I look at something like this, I can't help but feel that the post-WWII American public was sold an outright bill of goods. We had the automobile and interstate highway system practically crammed down our throats to the point where in most of the US one HAS to have a car or they simply cannot get around. Aforementioned interstate highway system is now falling apart thanks in large part to the ever-increasing size of semi-tractor trailer rigs. In 1945, we had THE BEST rail network in the world. In two decades' time, we'd practically thrown it all away. Now it seems like we have the best Rail-to-Trail network of anywhere in the world but I don't think that's anything to be proud of. Judging from the HUGE numbers of model railroaders (and rail fans in general) out there, I think that, were we possessed of a government that actually listened to the will of the people, things would've turned out far differently for the railroads. Instead, US transportation is just like election time: very limited choices to no choices at all. Taking US Mail off the trains was a huge mistake and a lot of why the USPO is so inefficient and slow now. I don't have room for model trains, but in order to stay even half-way functional and sane in 2017 America, I have to often fantasize that these classic railroads are still around and operating both freight and passenger trains profitably. Besides the CRI&P, the New York Central is my other favorite railroad. Thank you for providing me some pleasure here as an escape from an unattractive reality. Sincerely, Brandt
Hi Brandt - Thank you for your comments and I am glad that you enjoy the videos. I love model railroading and have had a soft spot in my heart for the Rock Island since it's demise in 1980. I'll have to admit that my model railroad provides me with a nice escape from some of today's realities. Thanks much for watching! Mike
Well said!
Well put, Brandt. My dad worked for the NP until just after the merger in 1970. I saw the passenger service slowly decline, as I had a family railroad pass to go anywhere between Chicago and Seattle (lived in St. Paul, except three years in Duluth 1951-54). Could take the Mainstreeter (1 and 2) anytime, but could only ride North Coast Limited (25 and 26) once annually.
Your comment about the USPS contract for hauling first-class mail is correct. The Post Office should have left the trains haul that mail, while planes handled mail to places the trains couldn't go. Back in 1960, my family took a ride on the Mainstreeter from St. Paul to Perham. The consist was 20 cars long, and at least 12 cars were US Mail and Railway Express Agency. When that died - oh well, you know. When that contract ended, so died REA and, to some extent, Western Union.
Now I get into a car and have some phony "I'm a Cowboy" yah-hoo in a super-lift pickup, in Phoenix, whip me off for driving too slow. Like 70 mph in a 65-mile zone.
Good read again thanks .... Mark
love the sound as they sit and idle. very nice video. running of both
sparky107107 - Thank you for watching the Hiawatha videos and for your comments, I appreciate it. Mike
You have such a great layout to run that train. Thanks for sharing, very sharp!
BeerLine Modeler - The prototype Hiawatha was an impressive train that left quite an impression on me. I was glad to be able to model it and try to preserve an image of it in HO scale. Thank you for watching and commenting. Mike
Nicely done. Relating the history of the head end power to the downturn in passenger train travel puts the 7 minutes in perspective. (Freight trains always ham up the shot!)
Hi Mark - Thank you very much for your comments and for watching this video, I appreciate it! Mike
Quite ironic that many railroads upgraded their motive power with the purchase of more powerful passenger diesels just as passenger service was being cut back with fewer and shorter trains.
Shout out to Kevin Renner: GO COUGS! I am a '72 graduate of WAZZU, having lived in Rogers and Stephenson South with views of the NP's P&L Line at the time of the BN merger.
What was Milwaukee Road's attitude towards passenger service?
I've read some roads were pro-passenger (B&O, Santa Fe, Seaboard Coast Line) and then there were Southern Pacific, Missouri Pacific and, predictably, Penn Central.
Hi Tommy - I'm not exactly sure what the Milwaukee Road's attitude was toward passenger service, but I think it was reasonably decent. I say this because the equipment operated with the several passenger trains they were running up to the Amtrak takeover seemed to be clean and in good condition and the crack Twin Cities Hiawatha's were nice trains up to the end. I'd like to believe that the Milwaukee Road personnel took pride in their passenger train operations right up to the end. Thanks for watching! Mike
A lot of the pro passenger lines had good quality trains and were actually profitable. A railroad you didn’t mention was the Great Northern and how trains like the empire builder were luxury compared to the broadway limited on the Penn Central, it’s a shame though a lot of them were too far gone to profit off passenger trains.
@@Metal9040 Southern Railway stayed out of Amtrak for most of the 70s and continued to run their own trains, most notably the Southern Crescent and the Washington/Atlanta, Piedmont. I rode the SR version a couple of times. It was the best American passenger train running, IMO, much better than early Amtrak.
Tommy Thomason The Southern was another I didn’t mention, I heard that when they shared trains with Amtrak in the early days that the Amtrak rolling stock was often in too bad shape and the Southern refused to handle them.
Both videos were great.
Rock Island mail train next?
You never know, that may happen someday ......... but please don't hold your breath :) Thanks much for watching the video. Mike
RImodeler79 guess I should exhale now XD.
MILW's FP45s, unlike the E9s they purchased for UP Cities service, did not have dynamic brakes, to ensure they couldn't be run west of Omaha.
Are those Walthers cars ?
I'm guessing the locos are Athearn.
Hi Farmer Dave - Yes, the FP45 locomotives are Athearn and all but one of the cars are Walthers. The baggage car is a Rapido model. Thanks for watching. Mike
Quite ironic that many railroads upgraded their motive power with the purchase of more powerful passenger diesels just as passenger service was being cut back with fewer and shorter trains.
Shout out to Kevin Renner: GO COUGS! I am a '72 graduate of WAZZU, having lived in Rogers and Stephenson South with views of the NP's P&L Line at the time of the BN merger.