Wires Wings & Warriors

The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway had just added “and Pacific” to its name by crossing the Continental Divide, the Bitterroots and the Cascades to reach the Puget Sound. And now the railroad was going to take on electrification!

Before WWI, the road had set an electrification program in motion, to cover the extension from Harlowton, Montana, to Seattle and Tacoma in Washington State. The early days of the electrification were well documented in film and A&R is fortunate to be able to present some of that film to you. From the erection floor at the GE Plant to a ride on the roof of a new boxcab through Deer Lodge Yard (right behind the pantograph!) we show it all! You will also see the reliable “Little Joes”, originally destined for Russia until the cold war halted their delivery. From Harlowton, across Pipestone Pass, through Butte to Avery, Idaho, the “lines east’ are well covered. Also included is a view of a Quill, a few scenes of the Bipolars in Washington and a Steeplecab at Deer Lodge. For authenticity, our research of this old material was assisted by the MILWEST Historical Society.