Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Historic photo! The Milwaukee Road, Midwest Hiawatha passenger train in 1943.





Being a Chicago area railfan Myself, just like many of My peers in the railfan community....I have always had a certain fascination with a period of North American railroading known as "The Steam Era".

While it is nice to be able to visit and photograph preserved steam locomotives on display in city parks and museums, or perhaps ride aboard a mainline steam charter fantrip...the day to day working steam locomotives of pre 1950's times must have been great to see and hear up close.

Although the Milwaukee Road preserved a very small handful of steam locomotives at the end of the steam era in their quest for modernization, their streamlined and very fast moving steamers from the 1930's era were legendary.

This old photo that I found on the internet from the year of 1943, captures the look and feel of streamlined Milwaukee Road passenger service steam power at speed.

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