CHICAGO MILWAUKEE & ST PAUL RAILROAD LANTERN BRASS TOP A&W C.M.&.St.P.Ry. 1895 For Sale

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CHICAGO MILWAUKEE & ST PAUL RAILROAD LANTERN BRASS TOP A&W C.M.&.St.P.Ry. 1895:
$495.00

CHICAGO MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL RAILROAD

MILWAUKEE ROAD

This Vintage piece of Railroad History, made by THE ADAMS AND WESTLAKE COMPANY for the CHICAGO MILWAUKEE & ST PAUL RAILROAD. This beautiful Brass Top, bellbottom lantern is markedC.M.&.St.P.Ry. Patented MAY 28, 1895 last date MAY 5, 1908.The brass burner is marked MADE IN U.S.A, burner andfuel fount arein good working condition. The Corning deep red glass globe is embossed C.M.&St P.Ry Cnxhas NO CRACKS some small chips around rims. Please view photos and Email with questions. Thanks for looking!

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TheChicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad(CMStP&P), better known as theMilwaukee Road(reporting markMILW), was aClass I railroadthat operated in theMidwestandNorthwestof the United States from 1847 until 1986.

The company experienced financial difficulty through the 1970s and 1980s, includingbankruptcyin 1977 (though it filed for bankruptcy twice in 1925 and 1935, respectively). In 1980, it abandoned its Pacific Extension, which included track in the states ofMontana,Idaho, andWashington. The remaining system was merged into theSoo Line Railroad(reporting markSOO), asubsidiaryofCanadian Pacific Railway(reporting markCP), on January 1, 1986. Much of its historical trackage remains in use by other railroads. The company brand is commemorated by buildings like the historicMilwaukee Road DepotinMinneapolisand preserved locomotives such asMilwaukee Road 261which operates excursion trains.

The railroad that became the Milwaukee Road began as theMilwaukee and Waukesha RailroadinWisconsin, whose goal was to link the developingLake Michiganport City ofMilwaukeewith theMississippi River. The company incorporated in 1847, but changed its name to theMilwaukee and Mississippi Railroadin 1850 before construction began. Its first line, 5 miles (8.0km) long, opened between Milwaukee andWauwatosa, on November 20, 1850. Extensions followed toWaukeshain February 1851,Madison, and finally the Mississippi River atPrairie du Chienin 1857.[2]

As a result of the financial panic of 1857, the M&M went into receivership in 1859, and was purchased by theMilwaukee and Prairie du Chien Railroadin 1861. In 1867,Alexander Mitchellcombined the M&PdC with theMilwaukee and St. Paul(formerly theLa Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad Company) under the nameMilwaukee and St. Paul.[3]Critical to the development and financing of the railroad was the acquisition of significant land grants. Prominent individual investors in the line included Alexander Mitchell,Russell Sage,Jeremiah Milbank, andWilliam Rockefeller.[4]

In 1874, the name was changed toChicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paulafter constructing an extension to Chicago in 1872. The company absorbed the Chicago and Pacific Railroad Company in 1879, the railroad that built theBloomingdale Line(now The 606) and what became theMilwaukee District / West Lineas part of the 36-mile Elgin Subdivision fromHalsted StreetinChicagoto the suburb ofElgin, Illinois. In 1890, the company purchased the Milwaukee and Northern Railroad; by now, the railroad had lines running through Wisconsin,Minnesota,Iowa,South Dakota, and theUpper Peninsula of Michigan.

The corporate headquarters were moved from Milwaukee to theRand McNally Buildingin Chicago, America\'s first all-steel framed skyscraper, in 1889 and 1890, with the car and locomotive shops staying in Milwaukee.[3]The company\'s general offices were later located in Chicago\'sRailway Exchange building(built 1904) until 1924, at which time they moved toChicago Union Station.[5]

In the 1890s, the company\'s directors felt they had to extend the railroad to thePacificto remain competitive with other railroads. A survey in 1901 estimated costs to build to the Pacific Northwest as $45 million ($1.27billion in 2022 dollars). In 1905, the board approved the Pacific Extension, now estimated at $60 million ($1.52billion in 2022 dollars). The contract for the western part of the route was awarded toHorace Chapin HenryofSeattle. The subsidiaryChicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway Companywas chartered in 1905 to build from the Missouri River to Seattle and Tacoma.[6]

Construction began in 1906 and was completed three years later. The route chosen was 18 miles (29km) shorter than the next shortest competitor\'s, as well as better grades than some, but it was an expensive route, since Milwaukee Road received few land grants and had to buy most of the land or acquire smaller railroads.

The two main mountain ranges that had to be crossed, theRockiesand theCascades, required majorcivil engineeringworks and additional locomotive power. The completion of 2,300 miles (3,700km) of railroad through some of the most varied topography in the nation in only three years was a major feat. Original company maps denote five mountain crossings: Belts, Rockies,Bitterroots,Saddles, and Cascades. These are slight misnomers as the Belt mountains and Bitterroots are part of the Rockies. The route did not cross over theLittle BeltsorBig Belts, but over the Lenep-Loweth Ridge between theCastle Mountainsand theCrazy Mountains.

Some historians question the choice of route, since it bypassed some population centers and passed through areas with limited local traffic potential. Much of the line paralleled theNorthern Pacific Railway.Trainsmagazine called the building of the extension, primarily a long-haul route, \"egregious\" and a \"disaster\".[7]George H. Drury listed the Pacific Extension as one of several \"wrong decisions\" made by the Milwaukee Road\'s management which contributed to the company\'s eventual failure.[8]

Beginning in 1909, several smaller railroads were acquired and expanded to form branch lines along the Pacific Extension.[9]: 15 

• TheMontana Railroadformed the mainline route throughSixteen Mile Canyonas well as the North Montana Line which extended North fromHarlowtontoLewistown. This branch led to the settlement of theJudith Basinand, by the 1970s, accounted for 30% of the Milwaukee Road\'s total traffic.[9]: 75 
• The Gallatin Valley Electric Railway, originally built as an interurban line, was extended fromBozemanto the mainline atThree Forks. In 1927, the railroad built theGallatin Gateway Inn, where passengers traveling toYellowstone National Parktransferred to buses for the remainder of their journey.[9]: 83 
• The White Sulphur Springs & Yellowstone Park Railway, originally built by Lew Penwell and John Ringling, primarily carried lumber and agricultural products.[9]: 86 

Operating conditions in the mountain regions of the Pacific Extension proved difficult. Winter temperatures of −40°F (−40°C) inMontanamade it challenging forsteam locomotivesto generate sufficient steam. The line snaked through mountainous areas, resulting in \"long steep grades and sharp curves\".Electrificationprovided an answer, especially with abundanthydroelectric powerin the mountains, and a ready source ofcopperinAnaconda, Montana.[10]Between 1914 and 1916, the Milwaukee Road implemented a 3,000voltdirect current(DC) overhead system betweenHarlowton, Montana, andAvery, Idaho, a distance of 438 miles (705km).[11]Pleased with the result, the Milwaukee electrified its route in Washington betweenOthelloandTacoma, a further 207 miles (333km), between 1917 and 1920.[12]This section traversed the Cascades through the2+1⁄4-mile (3.6km)Snoqualmie Tunnel, just south ofSnoqualmie Passand over 400 feet (120m) lower in elevation. The single-track tunnel\'s east portal atHyakincluded an adjacentcompany-owned ski style=\"margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;\">Together, the 645 miles (1,038km) of main-line electrification represented the largest such project in the world up to that time, and would not be exceeded in the US until thePennsylvania Railroad\'s efforts in the 1930s.[17]The two separate electrified districts were never unified, as the 216-mile (348km) Idaho Division (Avery to Othello) was comparatively flat down theSt. Joe RivertoSt. Mariesand througheastern Washington, and posed few challenges for steam operation.[12]Electrification cost $27 million, but resulted in savings of over $1 million per year from improved operational efficiency.[18]

The Chicago, Milwaukee, and Puget Sound Railway was absorbed by the parent company on January 1, 1913.[6]The Pacific Extension, including subsequent electrification, cost the Milwaukee Road $257 million, over four times the original estimate of $60 million. To meet this cost, the Milwaukee Road sold bonds, which began coming due in the 1920s.[19]Traffic never met projections, and by the early 1920s, the Milwaukee Road was in serious financial condition. This state was exacerbated by the railroad\'s purchase of several heavily indebted railroads inIndiana. The company declared bankruptcy in 1925 and reorganized as theChicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroadin 1928. In 1929, its total mileage stood at 11,248 miles (18,102km).[20]In 1927, the railroad launched its second edition of theOlympianas a premier luxury limited passenger train and opened its first railroad-owned tourist hotel, theGallatin Gateway Innin Montana, southwest ofBozeman, via a spur fromThree Forks.

The company scarcely had a chance for success before theGreat Depressionhit. Despite innovations such as the famousHiawathahigh-speed trains that exceeded 100mph (160km/h), the railroad again filed for bankruptcy in 1935. The Milwaukee Road operated under trusteeship until December 1, 1945.

During WWII the CMSt.P&P sponsored one of the Army\'sMRSunits the 757th Railroad Shop Battalion.

The Milwaukee Road enjoyed temporary success afterWorld War II. Out of bankruptcy and with the wartime ban on new passenger service lifted, the company upgraded its trains. TheOlympian Hiawathabegan running between Chicago and thePuget Soundover the Pacific Extension in 1947,[21]and theTwin Cities Hiawathareceived new equipment in 1948.[22]Dieselisationaccelerated and was complete by 1957.[23][24]In 1955, the Milwaukee Road took over from theChicago and North Western\'s handling ofUnion Pacific\'sstreamlinertrains between Chicago andOmaha.[21]

The whole railroad industry found itself in decline in the late 1950s and the 1960s, but the Milwaukee Road was hit particularly hard. The Midwest was overbuilt with a plethora of competing railroads, while the competition on the transcontinental routes to the Pacific was tough. The premier transcontinental streamliner, theOlympian Hiawatha, despite innovative scenic observation cars, was mothballed in 1961, becoming the first visible casualty. The resignation of President John P. Kiley in 1957 and his replacement with the fairly inexperiencedWilliam John Quinnwas a pivotal moment. From that point onward, the road\'s management was fixated on merger with another railroad as the solution to the Milwaukee\'s problems.

Railroad mergers had to be approved by theInterstate Commerce Commission, and in 1969 the ICC effectively blocked the merger with theChicago and North Western Railway(C&NW) that the Milwaukee Road had counted on and had been planning for since 1964. The ICC asked for terms that the C&NW was not willing to agree to. The merger of the \"Hill Lines\" was approved at around the same time, and the mergedBurlington Northerncame into being.

The formation of Burlington Northern in 1970 from the merger ofNorthern Pacific,Great Northern,Burlington Route, and theSpokane, Portland and Seattle Railwayon March 3 created a stronger competitor on most Milwaukee Road routes. To boost competition, the ICC gave the Milwaukee Road the right to connect with new railroads in the West over Burlington Northern tracks. Traffic on its Pacific Extension increased substantially to more than four trains a day each way[25]as it began interchanging cars withSouthern PacificatPortland, Oregonand Canadian railroads atSumas, Washington.[26]The railroad\'s foothold on transcontinental traffic leaving thePort of Seattleincreased such that the Milwaukee Road held a staggering advantage over BN, carrying nearly 80% of the originating traffic along with 50% of the total container traffic leaving thePuget Sound(prior to severe service declines after roughly 1974).[citation needed]

In 1970, the president ofChicago and North Westernoffered to sell the railroad to the Milwaukee Road outright. PresidentWilliam John Quinnrefused,[27]stating that it now believed only a merger with a larger system, not a slightly smaller one, could save the railroad. Almost immediately, the railroad filed unsuccessfully with the ICC to be included in theUnion Pacificmerger with theChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.

By the mid-1970s, deferred maintenance on Milwaukee Road\'s physical plant, which had been increasing throughout the 1960s as it attempted to improve its financial appearance for merger, was beginning to cause problems. The railroad\'s financial problems were exacerbated by their practice of improving its earnings during that period by selling off its wholly owned cars to financial institutions and leasing them back. The lease charges became greater, and more cars needed to be sold to pay the lease payments. The railroad\'s fleet of cars was becoming older because more money was being spent on finance payments for the old cars rather than buying new ones. This contributed to car shortages that turned away business.

The Milwaukee Road chose at this time to end its mainline electrification. Its electric locomotive fleet was reaching the end of its service life, and newer diesel locomotives such as theEMD SD40-2and theGE Universal Serieswere more than capable of handling the route. The final electric freight arrived atDeer Lodge, Montanaon June 15, 1974.[28][29]

In 1976, the Milwaukee Road exercised its right under the Burlington Northern merger to petition for inclusion based on its weak financial condition. The ICC denied it on March 2, 1977.[30][31]

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Co. - $100 Specimen Bond - Spe

$228.00

A155 VINTAGE TRAIN ENGINE PHOTO Railroad MILWAUKEE RR, CHICAGO, IL 1950'S

$21.14

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Co. - "Chicago" Red Overprint Type Sto

$119.00

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Co. - RED Preferred Type Stock Certifica

$169.00

Vintage IDAHO Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Engine No. 10300 Print

$9.50

Antique Tin Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific Railroad First Aid Empty

$29.99

Scenes Along The CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE AND ST. PAUL RAILWAY

$300.00

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Co. - Stock Certificate - Railroad Stock

$125.00