Friskens wrote:MILW had the shortest and fastest route to chicago from Seattle period.
Was the Milwaukee the shortest and fastest route between Chicago and Seattle? Well it sometimes had the fastest scheduled freight service, but sometimes not. TRAINS magazine is on record stating the CB&Q-GN Empire Builder was the fastest passenger train between Chicago and Seattle, so we know the Milwaukee Road wasn’t the fastest passenger carrier. As for freight, the BN “Pacific Zip” was the fastest freight train on the run. As for a regular freight train, my April 1973 Official Railway Guide shows BN train 97 running from Chicago to Seattle in 55 hours, 30 minutes, while MILW 261 (its fastest train) took 63 hours. So, the “fastest train” is largely a myth. As for “shortest,” the MILW tended to be as such, but pretty much only between Chicago and Seattle, and only a mile or two using the preferred routings (BN actually had a route one mile shorter). The weakness of the Milwaukee is the other routes, where they were almost always longer. For instance, from Montana’s Golden Triangle, the source of most of Montana’s grain, to the Portland/Vancouver/Kalama area, where the vast majority of it was destined (and still is today), the MILW could be a couple hundred miles longer, and the MILW didn’t even serve these points until after they gained trackage rights on BN after the 1970 BN merger. Even after the trackage rights were granted, MILW service to Portland was on an awkward, circuitous route, and service to Canada’s major western city Vancouver was via barge (BN and predecessor GN always enjoyed direct rail access). Major intermediate cities such as Spokane and Great Falls were accessed on one-way branch lines, adding time and mileage to shipments.
So, even though the MILW wasn’t the fastest, and wasn’t usually the shortest, one could usually count on the MILW to have the worst profile. For instance, a car of wheat from Great Falls to Portland not only would traverse over 200 more miles on the MILW than on GN or BN, but would encounter a grade between Great Falls and Lewistown greater than the GN/BN route would over the entire trip. On the main line, hill at Loweth west of Harlowton (1.4 percent) was greater than GN’s route over Marias Pass at a short 1.3 percent. But the MILW also had a 2 percent climb at Pipestone Pass, 1.7 percent at St. Paul Pass, 2.2 percent at the Saddle Mountains, and 3 percent leaving Tacoma. With regard to traffic to Seattle, it’s true that the MILW crossing of the Cascades was the best at .8 percent westbound, compared to 2.2 percent for GN and NP. But the MILW climb over the Saddle Mountains west from Beverly was also 2.2 percent, and GN and NP, and later BN had the option to route their heaviest trains via the SP&S route along the water level Columbia River. Today’s shuttle grain trains on MILW would require 100 or more power than is used on BNSF, or multiple helper districts (no helpers are used for such huge trains westward on BNSF today).
At the time of the 1970 merger, much of the route that would become the BN main line between St. Paul and Seattle was either double track or CTC; many of the sidings could accommodate even today’s longer trains (as, of course, could the double track). The MILW had no CTC or double track west of the Dakotas, and was even dark territory between Plummer, ID and Marengo, WA; Most of the MILW sidings could not accommodate today’s longer trains. In other words, the MILW didn’t position itself to handle the trains of future.
For the same reason that UP doesn’t route any through business between the Midwest and West Coast via its ex-D&RGW route across Colorado today is the same reason the MILW isn’t around now. The Rio Grande route survives with some online business, but it was remarkable how so much of the MILW Western Extension could be abandoned and with minimal effect. Like the Rio Grande route, the MILW was longer and steeper, and simply inferior in a corridor that had a small population base and even competition from routes in Canada. And, if the MILW had really been shorter and faster, why didn’t some private or public entity step in to save it? The UP still operates the ex-Rio Grande, and the government saw fit to create Amtrak and Conrail, even though they were losing money. The obvious reason is that the right people were not convinced of the value of saving it. And if there was sufficient public need or a buck to be made, the west end of the MILW would be around today. But it isn’t, and that’s far from a mystery.
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Actual mileages are:
Chicago to Seattle:
BN, via Oregon, Anoka, Casselton, Havre, Wenatchee 2181
BN, via Oregon, Anoka, Prosper, Havre, Wenatchee 2177
MILW, via Malden 2178
C&NW/UP via Boone, Blair, Kuna 2421
Chicago to Tacoma:
BN, via Oregon, Anoka, Casselton, Havre, Wenatchee, Seattle 2221
BN, via Oregon, Anoka, Prosper, Havre, Wenatchee 2217
BN, via Oregon, Anoka, Casselton, Havre, Ritzville, Vancouver, WA 2361
MILW via Malden 2207
C&NW/UP via Boone, Blair, Kuna 2381
Chicago to Portland:
BN, via Oregon, Anoka, Casselton, Havre, Ritzville, Wishram 2234
BN, via Oregon, Anoka, Prosper, Havre, Ritzville, Wishram 2230
MILW, via Malden, Tacoma, Maytown 2361
C&NW/UP, via Boone, Blair, Kuna 2237
Chicago to Longview, WA:
BN via Oregon, Anoka, Casselton, Havre, Ritzville, Vancouver, WA: 2260
BN via Oregon, Anoka, Prosper, Havre, Ritzville, Vancouver, WA: 2256
MILW, via Malden, Tacoma, Maytown 2312
C&NW/UP via Boone, Blair, Kuna 2283
St. Paul to Seattle:
BN, via Anoka, Casselton, Havre, Wenatchee 1751
BN, via Anoka, Prosper, Havre, Wenatchee 1747
MILW, via Malden 1768
Chicago to St. Paul:
CB&Q via Oregon, Winona Jct. 427
C&NW, via Madison 410
C&NW, via Milwaukee 408
CR&IP, via West Liberty, Manly 514
MILW, via Portage, Winona 410
Soo, via Waukesha, Owen, Chippewa Falls 449
Chicago to Billings:
CB&Q via Ottuwma, Council Bluffs, Omaha, Alliance 1392
CB&Q via Ottumwa, Louisville, Alliance 1374
CB&Q/NP via Oregon, St. Paul, Staples, Bismarck 1310
St. Paul to Seattle:
GN, via Willmar, Fargo, Havre 1783
GN, via Osseo, Alexandria, Grand Forks 1818
GN, via Willmar, Kindred, Havre 1776
GN, via Osseo, Alexandria, Prosper, Havre 1765
NP, via Butte, Dixon 1892
NP, via Helena, Dixon 1894
NP, via Helena, St. Regis 1922
MILW, via Spokane 1782
MILW, via Malden 1768
St. Paul to Longview, WA:
GN, via Willmar, Fargo, Havre, Wenatchee, Seattle 1926
GN, via Osseo, Alexandria, Grand Forks, Havre, Wenatchee, Seattle 1961
GN, via Willmar, Kindred, Havre, Wenatchee, Seattle 1919
GN, via Osseo, Alexandria, Prosper, Havre, Wenatchee, Seattle 1908
GN, via Willmar, Fargo, Havre, Pasco/SP&S, Vancouver, WA 1857
GN, via Osseo, Alexandria, Grand Forks, Havre, Pasco, Vancouver, WA 1892
GN, via Willmar, Kindred, Havre, Pasco/SP&S, Vancouver, WA 1840
GN, via Osseo, Alexandria, Prosper, Havre, Pasco/SP&S, Vancouver, WA 1839
MILW, via Spokane, Tacoma, Maytown 1916
MILW, via Malden, Tacoma, Maytown 1902
NP, via Butte, Dixon, Auburn 1991
NP, via Helena, Dixon, Auburn 1993
NP, via Helena, St. Regis, Auburn 2021
NP, via Butte, Dixon, Pasco, Wishram/SP&S, Vancouver, WA 1899
NP, via Helena, Dixon, Pasco, Wishram/SP&S, Vancouver, WA 1901
NP, via Helena, St. Regis, Pasco, Wishram/SP&S, Vancouver, WA 1929
St. Paul to Spokane:
GN, via Willmar, Fargo, Havre 1453
GN, via Osseo, Alexandria, Grand Forks 1488
GN, via Willmar, Kindred, Havre 1446
GN, via Osseo, Alexandria, Prosper, Havre 1435
NP, via Butte, Dixon 1496
NP, via Helena, Dixon 1498
NP, via Helena, St. Regis 1526
MILW via Harlowton 1473
Soo/CP/SI via Harvey, Moose Jaw, Dunmore, Yahk, Eastport 1476
St. Paul to Great Falls:
GN via Willmar, Fargo, Minot, Havre 1047
GN via Willmar, Kindred, Minot 1029
GN via Osseo, Alexandria, Prosper, Minot 1028
MILW via Harlowton 1129
St. Paul to Butte:
GN via Willmar, Fargo, Minot, Great Falls 1218
GN via Willmar, Kindred, Havre, Great Falls 1200
GN via Osseo, Alexandria, Prosper, Havre, Great Falls 1199
MILW via Harlowton 1115
NP via Bismarck 1118
Duluth to Seattle:
GN via Cass Lake, Devils Lake, Wenatchee 1790
GN via Brook Park, St. Cloud, Prosper 1828
NP via West Duluth, Staples, Butte, Dixon 1887
NP via West Duluth, Staples, Helena, Dixon 1889
NP via West Duluth, Staples, Helena, St. Regis 1917
NP via Superior, Staples, Butte, Dixon 1899
NP via Superior, Staples, Helena, Dixon 1901
NP via Superior, Staples, Helena, St. Regis 1929
MILW via West Duluth, Harlowton, Malden 1920
Lewistown to Seattle:
BN via Great Falls, Whitefish, Rock Creek, Rathdrum, Wenatchee 936
GN, via Great Falls, Whitefish, Eureka, Newport, Wenatchee 962
MILW, via Harlowton, Malden 901
Lewistown to Portland:
BN via Great Falls, Rathdrum, Ritzville, Wishram 978
MILW via Malden, Black River, Tacoma, Frederickson, Maytown 1083
Great Falls to Seattle:
BN, via Whitefish, Rock Creek, Rathdrum, Wenatchee 827
BN, via Whitefish, Rock Creek, Rathdrum, Ritzville, Vancouver, WA 1031
GN, via Whitefish, Eureka, Newport, Wenatchee 853
MILW, via Harlowton, Malden 1037
Great Falls to Spokane:
BN, via Whitefish, Rathdrum 501
GN, via Whitefish 523
MILW via Harlowton, Manito 742
Great Falls to Longview, WA:
BN via Whitefish, Rathdrum, Ritzville, Vancouver, WA 905
GN via Wenatchee, Seattle 996
GN via SP&S/Pasco, Vancouver, WA 929
MILW via Malden, Black River, Tacoma, Frederickson, Maytown 1176
Great Falls to Portland:
BN via Whitefish, Rathdrum, Ritzville, Wishram 869
MILW via Malden, Black River, Tacoma, Frederickson, Maytown 1219
MILW/UP via Malden, Marengo, Hinkle 1098