This has to be the best produced and presented long form documentary I have seen on KZbin. Well done.
@xr6lad5 ай бұрын
Certainly of an American railroad.
@1Nanerz5 ай бұрын
Beautifully done documentary. Well done. Would love to see an Idaho and Montana segment. Thank you for putting this work into my favourite railroad.
@WAL_DC-6B5 ай бұрын
This is an incredibly well-done documentary on the remnants of the Milwaukee Road in Washington state. Thanks so much for producing this! I was lucky to witness much of the Milwaukee trackage through Washington state and even Montana on a camping trip I took as a kid with my parents, brother and sister back in 1968 from the Chicago area to the Pacific coast and back. Curiously, I didn't see many Milwaukee Road trains except once at night and in the distance when we turned south for Yellowstone National Park in Montana. Also, I was employed as a locomotive engineer (now retired) at the Soo Line's former Milwaukee Road, Bensenville (IL) yard. I got to operate a lot of former Milwaukee power such as EMD MP15ACs, GP40s, GP38-2s and SD10s over former Milwaukee trackage mainly between Chicago and Davenport, IA.
@BrucePerkins-mc3hp5 ай бұрын
I grew up in the Town of Cosmopolis, Washington and I remember the Milwaukee Road Train that passed through town 7 days a week saddened by the end of this R 7:30pm
@TheMidgardViking5 ай бұрын
Wow, what a production! You have done the Milwaukie Road proud with this memorable and surreal video. The emotion that this video produces brings me to tears of sadness and also joy to see such a video detailing these locations. Thank you so much!
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
Your welcome
@scottnielsen15535 ай бұрын
I clicked on this video and almost clicked it off when I saw that it was over an hour long. I then thought, oh I'll give it 5 minutes. I ended up staying for the entire video. Well done Todd. This video was awesome. No way it could be done better.
@davec88295 ай бұрын
Easily the best abandoned railroad documentary I’ve seen
@stephensaasen85895 ай бұрын
Wow!! A very excellent documentary of the Milwaukee Road in the West. Thank you! I grew up along the Milwaukee Road's Chehalis Sub near Roy, WA. We lived there from 1974 to 1983. I got to see the last few years of the Milwaukee. This line sported 1 or 2 daily locals and 3 Portland, OR trains as well as the nightly WAM Logger. I was just 8 years old when the Embargo of Lines West took effect. I had the privilege to ride the rails of the entire Chehalis Sub in 1992 under the ownership of Weyerhauser's Chehalis Western RR shortly before they ceased operations. They hauled logs to Tacoma using the former Milwaukee shop-built log cars from 1981-1992. I was told those cars were built in the early 1970's from the first run of 1940's era Milwaukee Road PS-1 boxcars. Some things to note concerning the line West of Snoqualmie Pass. The poles and centenary arches you said sported telegraph lines actually did not. The canted poles next to the rail bed were actually catenary poles for the electrification. The crossarms sported the 3,000 volt supply lines for the centenary. This is also true of the crossarms remaining on the steel centenary supports on the bridges. The Telegraph lines ran further away from the railroad bed and actually followed the ravines of each of the creekbeds and were never attached to the bridges. I was fortunate enough to see all of this in 1992 after taking that last ride on the Chehalis Western. The telegraph lines, catenary poles and cannibalized signals were all still intact. We accessed the right of way at the Asahel Curtis trail. The location was a fill known as Humpback Creek. (Famous photographer Asahel Curtis snapped a promo shot of a Bipolar Electric locomotive heading the Hiawatha passenger train on that fill prior to 1920.) They were just starting to clear the right of way for the trail you see today. Burlington Northern actually had purchased the line from Maple Valley all the way to Easton in 1980 with intentions to run trains over Snoqualmie in favor of its easier grades than that of Stampede Pass. After the Hull Creek bridge collapse and unrealized traffic, BN removed the track from Easton to Renton after selling the Milwaukee right of way to Washington State in 1988. My guess is the signals you saw piled up in that one area may have been done by the crews we saw in 1992 because the signals were still intact when we hiked between Humpback and Hansen Creek. I'm guessing the snowshed that still stands is at Humpback Creek. It definitely once was much longer. The reason it looks rebuilt is because according to Frederick Hyde's 1990 Milwaukee Road publication in color, a section if the Humpback Creek snowshed was rebuilt in 1979 or 1980 after a derailment damaged a section of the shed.
@thomas34875 ай бұрын
My Dad, my uncle and a cousin of mine worked for the Milwaukee Railroad in the 60's through the mid 70's out of Janesville Wisconsin. They laid off alot of people and you were very lucky to still have a job with them in the late 70's as my cousin found out. They loved working for the Railroad. It was their life and it was a damn shame what became of it.
@fearlessfruge64455 ай бұрын
I worked as a gandy for Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission during the 90's, rehabbing old Milwaukee road track, Muscoday to Waukesha. I lived in Janesville at the time. Brutal work much enjoyed tho.
@stephensaasen85895 ай бұрын
I was fortunate enough to live next to the Milwaukee Road's Chehalis Sub from 1974 to 1983. I was just 2 years old in '74. I was fortunate enough to see the last few years of this great railroad. The Chehalis Sub saw about 4 to 5 trains a day with the Portland, OR trains mixed in with the locals. The Milwaukee left the West in 1980 when I was just 8 yrs old and then in 1981, I got to see the first few years of Weyerhauser's Chehalis Western continue the tradition of hauling logs to Tacoma using the Milwaukee's own shop built log cars they purchased with the deal. Chehalis Western and the log bunks are long gone but the Chehalis Sub and Morton Sub still live on. However, now the Tacoma Hill is in jeopardy as City of Tacoma is pushing to turn it into a trail. Tacoma Rail turned its Frederickson local over to another line that operates the other end of the railroad from Chehalis because the Hill is too costly to operate.
@GoneDeadTrain19605 ай бұрын
My dad (Jim Irvin) was the agent at Cedar Falls, Wa from 1958 until the last day of operation. We lived at Cedar Falls (railroad house) from 1958 to 1970, mom and dad built a new house about 5 miles away. Dad had 40 years with the Milwaukee Road. I was a operator from 1976 (16 years old really!) until May 1979 got laid off. I worked at Cedar Falls, South Cle Elum, Kittitas and a couple of times at Beverly. Cedar Falls what a great place to grow up! My dad passed in 2016, age 90 and he was a World War 2 veteran, Navy.
@stephensaasen85895 ай бұрын
Wow! That's something. I grew up south of Tacoma along the Chehalis Sub, near Roy. I got to see about 5 trains a day with the Portland trains and locals. I know that was more traffic than the mainline saw in the last few years.
@jaydee9755 ай бұрын
One more thing I’d like to add, I think that fans of the Milwaukee Road are very, very, very fortunate that there were many rail fans around before the abandonment of the line that took home movies and photographs of the Pacific extension before it was abandoned.
@Baldo6005 ай бұрын
Wow, what a great video. I went to work for the Milwaukee in 1978 pounding spikes. I never worked on the lines west, but worked with fellow employees that did and lived west of the twin cities. This video sort of reinforces the stories and places they told me about. I ended up working for the Soo, then CP Rail until 2000 when I left as a railroad detective. I have lots of great memories working as a railroader.
@richardhawkinson30205 ай бұрын
I was in college in the later 70's in Ellensburg, Washington. I still recall seeing the orange and black Milwaukee locomotives passing through the CWU campus as well as traversing Snoqualmie Pass next to I-90. Regrettably, I didn't have an interest in trains back then. I had no idea I was watching the end of an era play out. I wish I had taken more pictures but at least I got to see the Milwaukee when it was still in operation. Thanks for the outstanding video.
@brianmonica11045 ай бұрын
This is amazing. As a lifelong Milwaukeean who saw the railroad completely disappear from it's home city since the 1980's, the story you've told, the video and the music stir emotions. Sad to see what has been lost of the greatness that once was, but grateful to you and others who care to preserve what remains in beautiful Washington State. Your video is an absolute treasure. God bless you and your family.
@SBF964 ай бұрын
This is probably one of the best, PBS quality documentaries that I have seen in a very long time. I am a fan of railroads and have been fascinated by abandoned railroads for a very long time. The Milwaukee Road also ran through my home town of Beecher, IL. It ran parallel a mile east from the shared Chicago & Eastern Illinois/Missouri Pacific railroads (Now CSX and Union Pacific). Abandoned two years before I was born, I have childhood memories of the painted railroad crossing symbol still at the abandoned grade crossing on Indiana Ave a decade later before the road was repaved in the early 90’s. Eagle Lake Road to the north of Beecher had a notoriously steep grade crossing for motorists and after the tracks were gone, my dad used to jump the crossing with his 1972 Olds Cutlass all the time when I was a toddler. It was leveled out somewhere in the mid 90’s. Thank you for this enjoyable documentary. Very well done.
@michaelnotigan77965 ай бұрын
One of the greatest RR documentaries I have ever viewed. I cannot imagine the logistics you've done to bring this tour de force to life; the time, the scouting of locations, the camera angles and the money spent........ just astounding. So grateful that your vision of this great, abandoned railroad, can now be presented to all of us. Thank you.
@Joe-d7m6k5 ай бұрын
What can I say??? Perfect--- very well done, excellent--- and then some. A complete exhibit of what the MILW used to be,and how it got there. Also--- a complete memorial to corporate greed,stupidity and malfeasance to ever let this all die. Out of 5 stars, I give it 20. THANK YOU!!!!
@gs28645 ай бұрын
After watching this.....All I can say is WOW!
@stevengunning57215 ай бұрын
Absolutely brilliant documentary about the Milwaukee Road rail line, excellent photography and historical research. I’ve had a fascination with the Milwaukee Road for many years, especially when riding the Cedar River Trail. An outstanding tribute to the Old Milwaukee Road and its legacy.
@OnefastAZfarmtruck5 ай бұрын
Amazing video!! I find abandoned stuff, especially railroads absolutely astonishing. At the same time it makes me sad watching stuff like this or exploring abandoned railroads myself. To think men broke their backs with pride and died building these structures just to have it all abandoned and destroyed hurts my soul
@TDMackay5 ай бұрын
Kudos on your film. You’ve managed to tell a great story with respect to the past and also without closing the door on the future potential. The Milwaukee road story isnt one of loss of a railroad but one of change, discovery and adventure. Thank you for making this my day is better because of you.
@chrisanderson41685 ай бұрын
You’ve done an outstanding job with this video. Great cinematography, narration, music, historical knowledge. Wish there were more videos like these for other railroads.
@gunnersteve135 ай бұрын
Outstanding.
@mpc97885 ай бұрын
Phenomenally well-produced documentary. Thank you for keeping the spirit of the Milwaukee alive!
@jaydee9755 ай бұрын
Boy, can you just imagine how lucky the people who are riding in the Olympian Hiawatha Superdome car were with the views they had traveling along this route!
@markbrinton68155 ай бұрын
Todd, that was fantastic. Great photography, excellent historic storytelling, great narration. Well done! I have seen many of the structures growing up here in Washington, but didn't know their origin. Now I do!
@michaelodonnell82095 ай бұрын
This fantastic documentary is better than 98% of movies shown in theaters. I felt this overwhelming sense of sadness over how time erases humans and human built endeavors. Think of the men and woman who worked this amazing stretch of railroad for three-quarters of a century. They are now mostly gone. The brilliant engineers who designed those tunnels and bridges, works of art, are all gone. The film narrator had the perfect voice. I was left wishing that somehow this remarkable train line could have been saved.
@cprtrain5 ай бұрын
WELL DONE!!!!! This is a fantastic video. Thanks for posting a wonderful history of the Milwaukee Road.
@shortliner685 ай бұрын
A wonderful documentary. Thank you for your tremendous effort in searching out all those remote locations. Especially sad for me to see it all abandoned, because at my age (73) I well remember when the CMSP&P Pacific Coast Extension was still a going concern and being documented in railroad periodicals like Trains Magazine. Glad to see many of the structures have survived.
@kinotheidiot5 ай бұрын
Im just over 20 minutes into the video but i can already see that a lot of research was done and the bar of quality was set very high! The pacing, music choice and voiceover is also solid. And i won't even touch on the cinematography because it's too great to describe! These are the kind of videos that deseve millions of wiews! Thank you for keeping my AuDHD ass entertained with this quality video for that long! May you have a great day and i wish the alorythm pushes this video to the right audience.😊❤
@chooch98165 ай бұрын
What an amazing video. It is great to see that a fair amount of the MILW infrastructure is still in place. A well done documentary, an enjoyable watch.
@gjdanco42605 ай бұрын
Great job on this documentary. Thanks.
@scottmelton84145 ай бұрын
This is the video I've been waiting for. Magnificent work. I get bothered every time the Pacific extension is called a "costly mistake." You can look at it that way if you choose. For others, the history and legacy of Mil-West is a treasure. Thank you Todd Hilton and family. I'm sorry to say Smokey's in So. Cle Elum lost its least, at least at the depot location.
@Dukers23005 ай бұрын
This is probably the best historical content I’ve found on this rail line! Thank you!
@mariaschur45315 ай бұрын
WOW! What an incredible documentary, well done. I enjoyed every minute of it. I love the way the narration and cinematography really capture the history and current beauty of this remarkable trail. I plan to ride it again this fall, and will feel more knowledgeable when I do. Thank you so much for all the work that went into this!
@tbs109163015 ай бұрын
Wonderful documentary I am in awe as to the greatness of that railroad. Thank You
@jamesgoettsche5 ай бұрын
Bravo such a fantastic, wonderful, just one of a kind Documentry of the Milwaukee road!! i lived in a small town of Glenview illinois right by the tracks on henley st were the trains were non stop in the sixties and 70s what a wonderous time it was , so getting to the point my mother divorced my birth father and later remarried my step dad who work for the milwaukee road until its demise in the middle 80s he would atest to the fact that everything you had in this video was true and correct and if alive today would have loved to watch it !! what a sad ending to such a great railroad but you know when you look at what you have done here you keep it alive Todd i got tears watching some of the stuff in the video it wasnt ment to go away like it did!! it was leader from the state of the art electric operations to the milwaukee shops building there own freight cars , the tunnels ,the bridges the list goes on yep my step dad woulda been proud of you Todd !! thank you you keeping something dear to me alive ! again bravo!
@morg525 ай бұрын
This route is on my bucket list. I followed a portion of the Milwaukee Road down the Musselshell River in Montana by bicycle about six years ago on my way from Portland OR to Bismarck ND. I couldn't ride much of it but followed its course through Harlowton, Roundup, Ingomar and Miles City. The Milwaukee Road used to haul a water tender up from Miles City to Ingomar so the town could have water for its residents and industry. (sheep shearing) This is a wonderful production with drone shots and overlays. Thank You for this treat.
@fstudent01985 ай бұрын
Standing ovation to an excellent tribute video for our Milwaukee Road!! Thank you for producing this!!
@RonStanek5 ай бұрын
Wonderful homage to the CMStP&P, it must have been a fantastic ride. The Pacific Coast Extention served the U.S. well. Thank you, Todd, for enlightening people's to the historical heritage of The Milwaukee Road.
@raycooney76325 ай бұрын
Tkanks for this wonderful labor of love with great commentary and drone work. Oh how I wish I could have ridden the “Olimpian Hiawatha” on this amazing railroad!”.
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
Glad you liked it
@randyluginbuhl90855 ай бұрын
Fabulous production…Thank-you!!
@toddcampbell56035 ай бұрын
Thank you for putting your heart and soul into this and for including us on your journey. This is phenomenal!
@tonydeleo36425 ай бұрын
What a loss, our history, our heritage and, just maybe, part of our collective soul. The dream of the railroad, extending west, tie by tie, rail by rail, bridge and tunnel is dead, as are the dreamers who built this great nation. We have become so focused on getting to our destination as quickly as possible that we have lost the love of the journey.
@MrRusty-fm4gb5 ай бұрын
Well said...
@JoelTompkins-c6l5 ай бұрын
Outstanding! Raised in eastern Washington, starting in Doris and Cedar Falls in the mid 50s where my Dad worked the substations before getting work with GE at Hanford. We also had friends at Hyak, near the Cascade summit. This video really made my day!
@Maine_Railfan5 ай бұрын
when I first saw that the video was over an hour long, I figured I would just watch the first few minutes. Then I ended up watching the whole thing in one sitting. You absolutely knocked it out of the park with the imagery, the history, and the stories. I am looking forward to future videos on the Milwaukee!
@bpeterfeso5 ай бұрын
As someone who volunteers at one of the few surviving Great Northern roundhouses it's always sad to see the Mighty Milwaukee Road in its current state. On benhill road in St Paul Minnesota a small bridge stands. Owned by the Canadian Pacific track speed is 35mph but when the Milwaukee Road owned the line it heralded the Atlantic Hiawatha's into Minneapolis Minnesota and the track speed was 110mph
@ryanfrogz5 ай бұрын
They did 110 thru the Cities? I find that hard to believe, especially over Shortline Hill.
@davidgow71315 ай бұрын
Where is this Great Northern Roundhouse?
@bpeterfeso4 ай бұрын
@@davidgow7131St Paul Minnesota
@lagunsmoose5 ай бұрын
Great video of the Milw RoW, thank you!
@lagunsmoose5 ай бұрын
3rd time watching this, thanks again for the best post-1980 production of the Milw in Washington!!🧡🖤🧡🖤🧡
@AZPapa255 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for your superb Documentary! I enjoyed your detailed and unhurried treatment of a fascinating subject. Your splendid use of drone photography adds a wonderful touch. I found myself moved at times by your eloquent narration.
@Mrruneight5 ай бұрын
Once I started watching this, I couldn’t stop. This by far is the best presentation on the Milwaukee Road that I have seen. Thank You so much for doing this and for sharing this with us.
@joebliss36095 ай бұрын
Good history lesson! Thank you!
@brucehughesman52385 ай бұрын
thank you for the video on the Milwaukee road railway in Washington state you have done a great job the narration and before and after shots are excellent with the music all fits together just right its a shame that the state of Washington state did not buy it and run tourist trains would have kept the railway alive well into the future this video is far better then the rest of the history videos out there i hope you will keep making more of them thank you so very much Bruce
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
I also made a documentary on the Shanghai tunnels that you may enjoy
@FutureRailProductions5 ай бұрын
Well done. You've given me new appreciation for what the Milwaukee Road accomplished. Now I have four words for everyone that owns the right of way. Bring. Back. The. Milwaukee.
@Hogger2805 ай бұрын
Very nicely and professionally done Todd! The Milwaukee Rd. is my favorite and I have explored it from Harlowton to Marengo as well as Ellensburg to Cle Elum. I have run trains from Toppenish to Cle Elum on the BN; specifically the Great Western # 51.
@scottwithrow37935 ай бұрын
This is wonderfully done. Thank you for producing and sharing it.
@J3scribe5 ай бұрын
I'm kind of speechless, Todd. That was a beautiful homage to one of my favorite railroads, albeit one I only experienced in the Chicago/Milwaukee region. Thanks for the wonderful tour of the Pacific Extension in Washington.
@GG1man5 ай бұрын
I finished watching your video last evening. I usually don't watch videos as long as this one. It was well worth the time I spent. Thanks again.
@marcsisk24545 ай бұрын
A most excellent production! Any chance of doing something like this for the Milwaukee Road in Montana? Take Care!
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
Probably not but I did make another documentary called the Shanghai tunnels I hope you check it out
@GRReport5 ай бұрын
Thank you for this , one of the best historical documentaries on KZbin, and especially about the Milwaukee Road.
@alexandercolgan78125 ай бұрын
I love the soundtrack of this. Abandoned railroad alignments and structures are so cool to spot and learn about.
@chichard865 ай бұрын
It is bittersweet to see what once was! You did a good job on this one!
@oregonwesternrailroadprodu52395 ай бұрын
well worth the wait the opening bit when the f unit is about to hit the camera then it transitions to the row with the music fading gave me goosebumps
@dutybenson92785 ай бұрын
I’m originally from Chicago but live far away now. I have some family items and one was a Milwaukee Road dining plate. That has led me to learn a lot about them. Great video, thanks so much ! ❤
@peterblanker73635 ай бұрын
Todd, just wanted to say what a beautiful documentary. What a wonderful testament to this historical road. Thank you!
@guenther15 ай бұрын
Fantastic. Thank you so much for your interest in this part of our history and the time you spent creating this little masterpiece. Now on to the NP or GN?🤞
@TK-ec5bv5 ай бұрын
CMSTP&P lines west. A real shame that it's gone. Great job on this documentary. Thank you very much.
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it
@KCPrible985 ай бұрын
What a beautiful documentary Mr Hilton. You should be very proud of your self as an amateur videographer, I can only imagine the time you put into this, the filming and editing not the least to say the gathering of the copyrights and selecting the most incredible music - which is worth it all by itself to listen too. The Title drew me in as I have In-Laws living in Milwaukee and I have never heard of this RR before now. They are excited as they have plans to put up a new Chicago, Milwaukee to Minneapolis route in the near future. In retirement I picked up Microsoft Flight Simulator and love to recreate famous routes, such as the first Automobile trip across America in 1904, The Oregon Trail, Amelia Earhart's etc. I believe you have inspired me to check out the rest of this route and create a Flight plan out of it to take the journey from above - so to say. Bless you for the work you did on this as it truly is a work of art.
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
Been editing/ Video taping since 8th grade and am 48 ,worked for a public tv station many years ago . I strive to be professional. Thank you I have another documentary I did on the Shanghai tunnels you might enjoy.
@KCPrible985 ай бұрын
Thank you. I will watch it as well. I have a friend who wants to move back to that area.
@chrisp16015 ай бұрын
PBS quality documentary, a true labor of love. Great job!
@TheSmallestShayInExistance5 ай бұрын
Finally, a high-quality documentary on the abandoned Milwaukee Road in my state! I live a few miles outside Tacoma, and i mapped the entirety of the MILW from Seattle to the Idaho state line with a friend not too long ago, excluding branches. Had I remembered about this project, I would've sent it to you. Either way, incredible documentary! The old right-of-way doesn't get enough recognition, and, it being my favorite railroad, it's nice to see someone spending this much time on it! I hope to one day do a similar journey exploring the entire roadbed! (where possible, of course!)
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
Glad you liked it check up my documentary on the Shanghai tunnels
@GG1man5 ай бұрын
Thank you for making, then posting this video. Although it is bitter sweet, I felt compelled to say something before I have finished watching it.
@LarryCebula5 ай бұрын
This is great! I'm a historian and I really appreciate the research that went into this. I rode the trail in 2022 and you make me want to do it all over again.
@MarkClayMcGowan5 ай бұрын
Outstanding! Easily the best video of an abandoned line I've seen.
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
Wow, thanks!
@fredtrench56845 ай бұрын
Good work. Thanks for posting.
@MesquiteBelt5 ай бұрын
What a fantastic historical production! Well done Todd! One of my best friends is a Milw Road guy… This is GOLD!
@jaydee9755 ай бұрын
A large section of the original transcontinental route still exists between Chicago and Montana. You should definitely come out to Minnesota and view the Milwaukee Road 261 which is a steam train that makes excursions twice a year. I know you would love it!
@HiThereZoomy4 ай бұрын
In MT you can see the old road in the countryside roads riding alongside you.
@FoxRiverRailfan5 ай бұрын
What an incredible journey! I one day too aspire to make the trek to pay homage to the Milwaukee Road, with the ideas to visit most of the sites you visited, along with other places like Ingomar and Avery.
@jeffkalmus95635 ай бұрын
Great work! Thanks for sharing, can't wait to get up there and explore the area.
@jasonwitters78605 ай бұрын
This is absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for your efforts. Gorgeous. My only hope is this video last longer than the Milwaukee Road.
@dscottpeterson66535 ай бұрын
Well done but so sad.
@Cyfi715 ай бұрын
Very nice piece of work! I was Coast Division, 1971 to 1980. Hired out on the UP in 1980 and retired in 2013 on a RCO job in Fife yard. I was one of the lucky ones. Many families suffered financial catastrophe when the Milwaukee folded. Now I ride my Lectric 3.0 Ebike where GE boxcabs once roamed. Very surreal experience for me.
@stephensaasen85895 ай бұрын
I grew up next to the Chehalis Sub near Roy from 1974 to 1983. I was 8 years old when the Milwaukee left in 1980 and missed it so much. Got to see a couple of years of Weyerhauser's Chehalis Western before moving to Estern Washington. My dad's cousin worked for Weyerhauser and he arranged some visits to the CWWR. I got to ride the Chehalis Western in spring 1991 and again 1992 and got to see the whole operation from Tacoma to Curtis and Vail. It's possible we could've passed each other at Fife on our ride into Tacoma in '92. The CWWR shut down about a month later in '92. One of the many reasons for the shut down was the engineer to Tacoma was their only officially certified employee that had clearance to pull the train into UP's CTC controlled Fife Yard and then back the train into Port of Tacoma, and he was retiring soon. I have such fond memories of the Chehalis Sub and glad it still exists, although the Hill is in jeopardy of becoming a trail as Tacoma Rail has deemed it too expensive to run.
@JacobGarcia-sd1zh5 ай бұрын
I love it but I have been looking at this on Google maps and in ingomar Montana there is a remain S-1 tender sitting there and wondering if u can go check it out I'm curious if it's still there. Montana has a lot of Milwaukee road remains and also the last remaining Milwaukee locomotive still in operation is Milwaukee road 261. I suggest starting at Chicago and make your way to Seattle u can see the trails. Left behind cars. It's amazing I went through all the trails tunnels. Turn, you name it. And I did it on Google maps. I went through the entire map looking and researching about this amazing Milwaukee Road wishing it was still hers.
@fallapollo55184 ай бұрын
BRAVO. AMAZING WORK HERE. easily one of the best railroad documentarys ive ever watched. may the milwaukee road live on.
@ArtPhotographerLindsay5 ай бұрын
Enjoyed this with several cups of coffee and some chilled-out dogs on a rainy Sunday morning! Great job!
@edwinavil78675 ай бұрын
Been waiting for this to come out! Big fan of rr history and the Milwaukee Road so can’t wait to see it!
@redbull51815 ай бұрын
May i suggest the 2 book series "When the railroad left town". The books talk about the effects of railroad abandonment on the communities they were once in. The first book deal mostly with railroads east of the Mississippi river. The second, west of the Mississippi.
@DarkTerritory715 ай бұрын
You did a MOST-EXCELLENT job on this documentary! WOW! Thank you for sharing this!
@MountPindos24 күн бұрын
Mr, KZbin, if you are seeing this, please give Todd Hilton an award for all time best video. I am not a train geek, and still I was enthralled with the scope and beauty of this production. I'll be on the lookout for more Nowhere Video Production vids!
@sebmacadam52645 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for this documentary. A beautiful testimony of this fabulous and unique railroad.
@tamasjakaba29415 ай бұрын
I am really grateful that you put the time and effort in this wonderful masterpiece. Thank you
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
My pleasure!
@amamdawhatever5 ай бұрын
I once ran trains on the former Northern Pacific, current BNSF along the Yellowstone River from Laurel MT to Glendive MT. You can see many miles of Milwaukee Road right of way, a few bridges and their old car shops in Miles City. I would also run their old mainline from Terry MT to Hettinger ND. I found the history of the railroad fascinating while I was working there and feel fortunate to have ran on Ol' Milwaukee Tracks.
@leonbequille86195 ай бұрын
Great work!! Thank you so much.
@kristopherlundt5175 ай бұрын
This is a great video. You should do a Vol 2 video to cover the other Milwaukee Road gems around Puget Sound. On the old Everett Branch, there are two impressive trestles; the one north of Snoqualmie Fall is a beautiful horseshoe curve. Another Milwaukee Road artifact you need to document are the two, wire shields under the N. Meridian overpass. They are left-over from the electrification era. They can be viewed from Todd Road. There are also the depots in Duvall, Monroe and Everett. Also in Everett are the pilings where the roadbed once was. At the intersection of East Marginal Way and Diagonal Ave S. in Seattle is a Milwaukee Road tri-light signal still used today.
@aselner35425 ай бұрын
Wow!!!! Great narration, historical info, and video production!! Thank you for producing this video!
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
Thank you very much!
@CHSBruin005 ай бұрын
Last summer, I rode my bike across the Palouse to Cascades Trail from Cedar Falls to Tekoa. I became fascinated by the history and couldn't wait to see your documentary. My wife and I just finished watching it and we both thought it was outstanding! Thank you and your family for all the time you put into this! Your drone footage was amazing and the historical photos and information you shared brought the Milwaukee Road back to life. Thanks again!
@NowhereVideoNetwork5 ай бұрын
Oh wow! thanks
@jdodge3494 ай бұрын
Made my Sunday morning. Great narration, video and music. Heartfelt.
@fordisfurious5 ай бұрын
That was really well done!! I hope for more in the future.
@carlfalt1745 ай бұрын
Excellent work. It's strange that no other rail company would have bought the line.
@skyh5 ай бұрын
Great Northern and Northern Pacific made the route redundant.
@stephensaasen85895 ай бұрын
Definitely true. The irony is the Milwaukee pushed thru the 1960's to merge with the more willing Chicago & Northwestern but the ICC dragged its feet on many needed mergers, not realizing that highway traffic was the stiff competition and keeping the big roads separate was no longer necessary. Unfortunately, by the late1970's, the infrastructure was in terribly bad shape and would've taken more money than the tightly regulated railroads were willing to put out to revive it. In fact, after the 1977 bankruptcy and Embargo of Lines West, the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad sent a young employee named Bill Edgar out west for quite some time to do an in-depth study of the Milwaukee's Pacific Extension to determine if the line was worth purchasing from the Milwaukee. After long deliberation, it was determined it would cost too much for the C&NW to purchase and rehabilitate the infrastructure and give the land locked C&NW it's own outlet to the West. Bill Edgar is an avid photographer and took many images of the Milwaukee operations in the Northwest in 1978 and '79. Another former employee that used to work between Portage, WI and Milwaukee said that in 1980, a Japanese company that did alot of shipping with the Milwaukee Road actually wanted to purchase the whole railroad and run it their self. They had plans to electrify too. A judge blocked the purchase. My guess is the stiff trade competition with Japan at the time and the thought of a foreign company having a large stake in US territory swayed that decision. So trying to revive it was deeply considered, but just like the Rock Island RR that fell at the same time, the "vultures" swooped in on the corpse and swept up those portions that they deemed viable for operation. It truly is sad because this railroad was the shortest and most direct route to Chicago from Tacoma and would've been great to see still alive.
@MrDgwphotos5 ай бұрын
Because A: everything that was worth being served, was already being served by other railroads, and B: the line was in very poor shape, which is part of what led to the downfall of the Milwaukee, it would have cost too much to rebuild it to be a reliable railroad line again.
@johng57105 ай бұрын
I'm not much of a railfan at all, but being a Route 66 fan (who has driven the entire route from Chicago to Santa Monica), I am totally fascinated by historical routes like this, and videos presented as well as this. Much respect to the creators of this video and to the Milwaukee Road!
@Steve519835 ай бұрын
Great video! Very well done.
@erbewayne68685 ай бұрын
Excellent video. I worked for the signal and communication department when lines west was shut down. Worked with the s&c supervisors many years. Sad to see what things look like now. .
@robertpedersen6415 ай бұрын
Very good!
@StormySkyRailProductions5 ай бұрын
WOW FANTASTIC well done video, My wife and I watched it last evening and it was excellent but at the same time bitter sweet. I was fortunate to work with a ton of Milwaukee Road guys when I started on the CP 30 years ago in the Wisconsin area now all are retired. It was a blast working with all them and that generation of railroaders. I also knew a few that worked out that way in the western areas back in the 70s and lots of cool stories. Thinking through that awesome video of yours how I wished we could take our recording equipment and go back in time to experience that part of the Railroad. Got saddened in parts of the video that a lot of that is now gone such as some of the bridges and such but at least they were able to save some of it for preservation. Enjoyed watching and have a wonderful rest of your weekend.(Steve)
@markwarmann12625 ай бұрын
I live in kenosha wi and Milwaukee road was my first favorite railroad... Loved this video