No. 405 shows off its new Hiawatha nose logo at Grayslake, a detail left out of the first publicity photos shared by Metra.
Jimmy Solum
GRAYSLAKE, Ill. – When Metra train No. 2119 arrived at Grayslake on Thursday afternoon, it brought a little bit of railroad history with it — in two ways. Most prominent was the appearance of Milwaukee Road-painted MP36PH-3S No. 405 leading the train into the station. And a number of those present for its arrival were former Milwaukee Road employees, according to photographer Jimmy Solum.
No. 405’s appearance on Thursday brought a surprise for many, a newly mounted Hiawatha nose logo, which was missing in the publicity photos previous shared by Metra. The logo, part of the Milwaukee Road’s last paint scheme, appeared on just 37 units beginning in 1983: 31 SD40-2s, two SD10s, one SW1200, and three GP40s.
Some former Milwaukee Road employees gather at Grayslake on Thursday afternoon to inspect No. 405.
Jimmy Solum
Great to see METRA doing what it can with the cards they are given.
Watched a bunch of videos of news reports complaining of METRA’s (NEW) loco’s from Pacific Surfliner EMD’s to other slightly used ,, clean one owner, additions to the fleet emitting the same poison from their stacks as METRA’s golden oldie F40’s. Some of the reports to contribute this to the lack of funding from the state and feds; but come on; what is METRA supposed to do.
So thanks again for the Milwaukee; and Rock Island heritage units; it does kind of divert attention from the consist of 50 plus year old gallery coaches behind the power.
Thanks METRA for caring more about railroad heritage and tradition than BNSF that cannot even bring itself to paint a few of the billions of GE’s they have into warbonnet colors.
METRA, in these times of some of our freight counterparts honoring their heritage in paint, PLEASE tell us this could be the start of a trend. Think of the possibilities, many to choose from!!
Wow! Looks Great!!
A bit of hyperbole: among the crimes of the (20th) century were the NYC’s failure to save a J3A Hudson, or any iteration, and the Milwaukee’s to save one of the A class Hi’s. Both are obvious candidates for reproduction; find the millions.
Regarding the original Hiawatha consists, the initial 1935 version’s rolling stock was built by the Milwaukee shops and featured a pre-beaver tail observation car. The “skytop” design by Brooks Stevens dated to the 1947 rollout of the Hiawathas and Olympian Hi. At least 2 of the original 4 non-sleeper skytops exist, built by the shops, the “Friends” have one and Iowa Pacific, or whatever it’s called, the other. Perhaps someone can comment on the fate of the 6 built by Pullman Standard as sleepers for the Oly Hi.
Regarding the rolling stock: the Milwaukee’s in-house genius was Karl F. Nystrom, whose revolutionary designs for lightweight equipment and high speed trucks ushered in the modern era and were widely emulated.
Finally, an historical tidbit from when business was good: on Christmas Eve. 1938, the Milwaukee operated 6 sections of the westbound Hiawatha, utilizing both A class and F-7 power.
Curtis – I once read in TRAINS-MAG that not a single New Haven steamer was preserved. No skin off my nose as I’m not a steam fan. I can surely see why others might have been bothered.
Anna – My French is pathetic, but I know enough to understand what you wrote. D’accord.
How about “vaguely Milwaukee-inspired”? Nice idea, and I appreciate the effort, but it takes some imagination to link it with an authentic Milwaukee Road livery.
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Talk about a trip down memory lane.
If you look quickly at it, it looks almost like a Skytop lounge car. Now if they could bring those back…
The above comments are general in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Find your own damn lawyer.
Beautiful paint job KUDOS to Metra.
Actually, it is a misnomer to describe Metra’s so-called “heritage” paint scheme as “Milwaukee Road-painted…”
Anna, one doesn’t have to be a MILW fan to think these are the most beautiful cars ever, to see from the outside (as I have) or to ride inside (I have not). I’m not sure the cars’ mechanical underpinnings and structure were quite up to their spectacular design.