Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific E2

North East Rails

Built in:1919 by General Electric
Out-of-service/Retired:1962 (1960)
Type of car:locomotive (Bi-polar mainline locomotive) (Class EP-2)
Current Owner:Museum of Transportation(Kirkwood, Missouri)

Car History by Frank Hicks

Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific E2 One of the most distinctive electric locomotives of all time is the Milwaukee Road "bipolar" design, of which this unit is the only surviving example. This design utilized traction motors with only two poles and armatures that were mounted directly on the axles; this eliminated any gearing and made the bipolars virtually silent. When built these locomotives were advertised as being among the most powerful in the world, and their towing ability compared favorably with the newest steam engines of the time. The design was extremely efficient, and the five bipolars built for the Milwaukee Road were used in passenger service for nearly 45 years. They mainly ran on the Coast Division electrification, for which they had been built, between Tacoma and Othello, Washington. In 1953, E2 and the other bipolars were heavily rebuilt with changes ranging from roller bearing axles to MU capability to carbody streamlining. After this change, the bipolars ran a few more years (they were transferred to the Mountain Division in Idaho and Montana in 1957) until retired in 1960; in 1962 E2 was donated to the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis.

Ownership History:Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul #10251 1919-1927 / Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific #10251 1927-1939 / Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific #E2 1939-1962 / Museum of Transportation(Kirkwood, Missouri) 1962-present

Facts and Figures

Status:displayed inoperable		Gauge:4'8.5"
Construction:steel	Roof type:AR	Ended:DE
Length:76'0"	Width:10'0"	Weight:521200#
#Seats:n/a	#Wheels/Conf.:28 (1B+D+D+B1)	Total HP:3180
Trucks:2-piece cast	Brakes:	Compressor:
Motors:GE 100 (12)	Voltage (if not 600DC):3000vDC

PHOTO PHOTO