Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul and Pacific Railroad, often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" (reporting mark MILW), was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986.
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16 Facts About Milwaukee Road
2.
Railroad that became the Milwaukee Road began as the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad in Wisconsin, whose goal was to link the developing Lake Michigan port City of Milwaukee with the Mississippi River.
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3.
Milwaukee Road incorporated in 1847, but changed its name to the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad in 1850 before construction began.
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4.
The route chosen was 18 miles shorter than the next shortest competitor's, as well as better grades than some, but it was an expensive route, since the Milwaukee Road received few land grants and had to buy most of the land or acquire smaller railroads.
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8.
Railroad mergers had to be approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission, and in 1969 the ICC effectively blocked the merger with the Chicago and North Western Railway that the Milwaukee Road had counted on and had been planning for since 1964.
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9.
Milwaukee Road chose at this time to end its mainline electrification.
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10.
In 1976, the Milwaukee Road exercised its right under the Burlington Northern merger to petition for inclusion based on its weak financial condition.
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11.
Between 1974 and 1977, the Milwaukee Road lost $100 million, and the company filed for its third bankruptcy in 42 years on December 19, 1977.
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12.
Still in reorganization, the Milwaukee Road attracted interest from three potential buyers: the Grand Trunk Corporation, the Chicago and North Western Railway, and the Soo Line Railroad.
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13.
Milwaukee Road aggressively marketed passenger service through much of its history, maintaining a high quality of service until the end of private intercity passenger operations in 1971.
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14.
The Milwaukee Road prided itself on its passenger operations, providing the nation with some of its most innovative and colorful trains.
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15.
Regional passenger trains that the Milwaukee Road operated from Chicago up to Amtrak's assumption of passenger operations in 1971 included the Twin Cities Hiawatha serving Minneapolis, the Sioux serving Madison, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Express serving Milwaukee, and the Varsity serving Madison.
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16.
Years, the Milwaukee Road operated an extensive commuter rail service in the Chicago area.
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