MINNEAPOLIS — The Friends of the 261 has unveiled a new “retro” paint scheme for Milwaukee Road E9A 32A. The E unit, acquired by the Friends in 2019, is painted orange and maroon to fit with the majority of the Friends passenger fleet. Since Milwaukee Road E9s were only painted Union Pacific yellow, the group decided to adopt a “blended” scheme that harkens back to original Milwaukee Road diesel schemes. It is a combination of the Milwaukee Road’s 1947 E7 scheme with orange substituted for gray, and the 1950s E7 scheme which featured orange and maroon. The scheme features the large nose “wing” logo used on the E7s when they were delivered to pull Hiawatha streamliners.
The 32A Diesel Team led by Jim DeRocher has spent over a year to upgrade the unit mechanically at the Friends shop in Minneapolis. The team is also installing an Event Recorder/alerter system that is fully compatible with positive train control. While the unit does not have PTC now, it can be added at a later date.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s the backbone of the Milwaukee Road’s passenger diesel fleet was a pair of E6As and ten E7As. In 1955, Milwaukee purchased 12 E9A units and six B units built to Union Pacific specifications for use on UP’s City streamliners when they switched from the Chicago & North Western to the Milwaukee Road between Chicago and Omaha. They were also used on other Milwaukee Road trains, notably the Olympian Hiawatha between Chicago, the Twin Cities and Seattle/Tacoma (discontinued in 1961) and the Twin Cities Hiawathas between Chicago and the Twin Cities. In April 1961, the Milwaukee purchased six more E9s for Chicago commuter service, among the last E units built. Of the Milwaukee’s 18 E9A units, four are known to survive, with two at the Illinois Railway Museum, one on display in Deer Lodge, Mont., and the 32A.
The last Hiawatha was discontinued in 1971 and the non-commuter units were sold to Amtrak. Amtrak used E9s until 1979. Milwaukee 32A, by then Amtrak 434, was officially retired in October 1982 and sold to the Alaska Railroad, which renumbered it 2402. It later went to the Wisconsin & Southern, which was acquired in 2012 by Watco. The Friends acquired the unit from Watco and Wisconsin & Southern in 2019. The Friends hope to purchase another E8 or E9 unit to go with No. 32A, and is planning a fundraising effort to acquire another of the streamlined units.
No. 32A will make its public debut at Union Depot Train Days, being held at Union Depot in St. Paul June 5-6. In addition to No. 32A, other diesels scheduled to appear included a freight locomotive from Twin Cities & Western, which is marking its 30th anniversary this year, and commemorative units from Amtrak, Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific.
More information on the Friends of the 261 is available here. Information on the Union Depot Train Days is available here.
Excellent paint scheme non the less, I wish more Steam owners would be like this buy some Predecessor Diesels to go with there steam engines.
Lookin’ sweet!