The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-11-10
New Diesel Freight Engine
Outsirips Passenger Train
Herolds End to All Steom Operation
BY Milwaukee: More Diesels Ordered
Continued From P.ss on.l

Continued From rsr. onsl
farmer Inc west If the Dskoiss
the Milwaukee has fought an ~
hill hattie fer 81 year.
Built - short. high srsed
through line. avoiding al river
valley corkscrsw. and n.fsriou.
lsnd-selling schemes. the Milwsu-
kee has actually pioneered more
new IDEAS and schemes 70 attract
public support than all the rest Of
the lines west of Chicago put to-
gether. Existing on meager. left
over supply OF business. The clever.
shrewd and hsrd-pres>ed Milwau-
kee staff has built UP. tn its $50
miles of identification. the highest
degree of operating efficiency Of
almost any other railway in the
whole world.
Hedged IN on Puget Sound by
vast terminal and switching zone
barriers controlled by the North
ern Pacific and Great Northern.
hedged and squeezed by the Union
Pacific at Spokane and Portland
and many eastern Washington
points. the Milwaukee. the only
railroad with full western term
insl status at Tacoma. by the way.
has put on a magnificent display
Of ingenuity and brought its case
clearly 10 the public. This author
feels that within two years a COM
bination Of public feeling and sup
port. and state and federal regu-
latory forces will give this great,
progressive system. whose en-
ploye loyalty and cooperation Is
the wonder of the American rail-
way industry, the first real chance
that il has had. And a chance that
the Milwaukee has waited for for
over so years.
Milwaukee Is Ready
When northwest mayors and
civic groups start bowling for
streamliners, the Milwaukee Off
Gals bite their tongues and smile
wanly. They've known since 1919,
when the magnificent bipolar
gearless passenger electrics start
ed hauling the olympian into Ia
coma, that they could give the
public anything 1t wanted. Their
line was ready. The others, includ-
Ing the u. p. were not ready.
The engineering that electro
fled the line and laid the grades
proved itself. and. after nearly 40
years. the western extension, upon
which % much depended, Is as
perfect. If not more so. than any
western system. Simply waiting
for the 20 signal from way up on
top of the pile of farcical red-tape.
Long Wait About Over
But the feeling is that long,
long wait will soon be over.
What does the new diesel loco
motive mean?
Sbr DIV tihHks ~ htinius NV
speedy end to ALL steam opera
ton on the WHOLE MILWAU-
KEE system within the states of
Montana, Idaho and Washington.
Won't Replace steam Engines
A big statement, yes. and no
Milwaukee official will authorize
a statement like that for the press,
for quite some obvious reasons.
But they 60 on to outline how, as
the old "sows," friendly term for
the putting mallet freight engines,
wear out, they won't be replaced.
Already eastern Washingto
branch lines are being rapidly
dieselized. Steam engines, coal
docks, old fashioned roundhouses
and wsyside water tanks are be-
ing abandoned.
Already the freight connection
from Spokane down to Marengo,
where the Milwaukee's original
main line cuts due east to Plum
mer Junction, emitting Spokane
entirely. Is a 100 per cent diesel
operation. Yard switching in Ia
coma and Seattle is rapidly ap-
preaching 100 per cent diesel OPP
Grafton. The long Metsline Falls
branch also is now diesel.
And so it goes. soon the Ash
ford and Morton and Southwest
Washington branches will see
steam power no more. A 2,700
h. D., 2-unit transfer diesel type
will probably replace the putting
old "sows" before long.
Wonder About Big Gap
Secondly, for 20 years the rail-
ways of the northwest have Won
electrify its 212-mile gap from
dered if the Milwaukee would ever
Othello TO Avery.
The trouble has been that the
Milwaukee's main line does not
run through Spokane. Freight IS
whisked at so miles per hour
across the wheat fields at Maiden.
Tekoa and Rosalia, straight 10 the
Idaho boundary. from Marengo,
Wash. Passenger and freight SER
vice rights have been purchased
dearly over the Union Pacific into
Spokane. Thus half the traffic
goes one line and half the other
Tn. advent of diesel locomotive