RIVALS MERGERS & FAILURES: RAILROADS IN THE 1970S

Рет қаралды 10,368

2 ай бұрын

The entire video features the following topics...
The “Road” from 1955 to 1978 covering the electric, diesels and some steam. This is a nostalgic and technical look at electric, mountain railroading. See GE box-cabs, Joes, and Bi-polars in many great locations.
Go inside substations and yards. Watch how the sturdy mountain-men of the “Road” dealt with poor funding and ancient, fading equipment to keep the trains running - a “Yeoman’s effort” to say the least.
See and hear the start-up of the motor-generators at the Avery sub-station. The experience and the sounds and sights have been described as “raising the hairs on the back of your neck”.
Passenger and freight operations are covered. We review the rival GN, NP lines and “almost” merger partner, the Rock Island.
Don’t miss the comparisons to the rival Northern Pacific and those splendid passenger and freight trains in the same region.
To quote Railfan & Railroad magazine, “This is another in a series of educational, vintage footage by Charles Smiley Presents. .. well done maps and narration, we gain quite a bit of knowledge of the Milwaukee Road’s history, operations, and electric locomotives…. This video is a good choice for Milwaukee Road fans and for those who want a primer on an important piece of railroad history between Chicago and Seattle."
Features:
Seattle, Tacoma
Chicago
Rocky Mountains
Deer Lodge switching
Substation views
Electric
Diesel & Steam
Competing Lines
Maps, Diagrams and Graphics...

Пікірлер: 22

@edwinavil7867 2 ай бұрын

Always love the Milwaukee Road. Such a shame they were so mismanaged.

@davidmihevc3990 2 ай бұрын

Sure makes one wonder, how things would have been different if Milwaukee Road had made it.

@turkfiles 2 ай бұрын

One of my uncles in Chicago worked for the MR. Only job he ever had. Worked his way up to dispatcher. He retired around the time the line went bankrupt. He really loved his job. It was hard for him to deal with the railroad’s demise. For me, the end of the C&NW was a sad time. Grew up about four blocks from their northwest line in Chicago. Fell asleep every night during the summer listening to the sounds of the long freight trains passing through the night.

@subbiewubbie9655 2 ай бұрын

someone on Milw was affectionate towards the steeplecabs. they wrote "SUPER HOG" on the side of her. 19:40

@kelvintorrence5994 2 ай бұрын

love the milwaukee road, erie lawawanna, rock island soo line

@ChargerusPrime 2 ай бұрын

The locomotive at 2:19 is preserved. An Alco C-424 number 605. She resides currently at the Austin Steam Train Association in Cedar Park, Texas and IS FOR SALE RIGHT NOW!!! They're asking $40,000 for her and she'd DEFINITELY be worth it.

@hartmutlorentzen9659 2 ай бұрын

I love Your videos, thanks from Germany

@TigerDominic-uh1dv 2 ай бұрын

Competition Is Very Hard 😊

@3RTracing 2 ай бұрын

I witnessed the last train to run in Washington State out of the Tacoma yard and up the UP tracks through the Kent Valley. It was a rag tag combination of locomotives struggling to pull a short train north, probably to the exchange tracks in Auburn, or even possibly the exchange track which was the eastern most track at Stacy Street Yard in Seattle. My dad worked at the GN HQ in Seattle in the freight management and tariff auditing office at the 4th and Union Western Head Quarters of the Great Northern. He always said that the MLW had little chance of success as the ICC had placed them right down the middle of the NP and GN mainlines, giving them little access to spur and shortline routes to pick freight. Some very interesting history here. Great video and well told story. Brings back a lot of memories.

@iantha_branch 2 ай бұрын

I really enjoy watching these video sections every weekend. If you have any other Frisco footage that isn't available yet I love to see it.

@kelvintorrence5994 2 ай бұрын

they must have when their tons of extension cords there, that small yellow homemade switcher love it y

@TigerDominic-uh1dv 2 ай бұрын

If I Was Younger And Had Money I'd Buy One Of those Old Buildings And Turn It Into My Home 🏡 😊

@johnknippenberg-LandmarkYards 2 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@kevineich5029 2 ай бұрын

I believe the Pacific extension was shut down in March, 1980, not 1977. That was on the news networks at the time.

@jollyjohnthepirate3168 2 ай бұрын

The Milwaukee Road ripped out there electric wire because they wanted to sell off the copper contenr of their wires. They were that desperate.

@debra6438 Ай бұрын

A twenty minute video and eight commercials never waich again

@user-nj9el8su3e 2 ай бұрын

Is conrail in this

@user-gc6ow7ys2s 2 ай бұрын

Electric equipment costs more than off the shelf diesel equivalents. Long payback on investment. No one can wait today for that. Substations had only enough power for 1 little Joe which was sufficient in 1908.

@patricknoveski6409 2 ай бұрын

Just horrible managment. The Ml.Road. Actually all of railroading. Sad. I heard if they had kept electric ,by the time gas crisis started they would have paid all their debt. But Nooooo.

@64BBernard 2 ай бұрын

Don't forget the ICC, too. It took the Staggers Act of 1980 to turn the railroad industry around.

@user-mr3ct1dm9p 2 ай бұрын

@@64BBernardYes-- and let's not forget the fact, that they took 10 years to decide the UP--- CRI&P merger, after which the UP said NO and walked away.

@3RTracing 2 ай бұрын

@@64BBernard and keep in mind that the ICC ran the MLW right down the middle of the NP and GN which gave them little opportunity to gather business on spurs and shortline connections to the NP and GN.