Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul 10200A

Dave's Electric Railroads

Built in:1915 by General Electric
Out-of-service/Retired:1977 (1973)
Type of car:locomotive (half of standard boxcab set) (Class EF-1)
Current Owner:Lake Superior Railroad Museum(Duluth, Minnesota)

Car History by Frank Hicks


Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul 10200A & 10200B
This two-unit set of mainline railroad boxcabs is the last surviving set of locomotives from the original Milwaukee Road electrification. This pair was the first of 42 sets of two-unit GE boxcabs constructed when the Milwaukee Road electrified its Mountain Division between Deer Lodge, Montana and Avery, Idaho in 1914 and 1915. These locomotives were the state-of-the-art when built and could outperform contemporary steam engines of similar size; most of them operated for over half a century. Originally classified EF-1, in 1960 set 10200AB (by this time renumbered E50AB) was rebuilt with the addition of two more "middle units" to act as boosters. These had formerly been E56B and E64B, and the new four-unit set was designated number E50ACDB, class EF-5 (E50AB later lost these middle units and became a three-unit set with E47C as the booster). Set E50 was originally assigned to the Coast Division in Washington but it ran on the Mountain Division during its last years. Retired in August 1973 following a frame failure, E50AB was set aside by the Milwaukee Road for preservation as the railroad's very first electric locomotive. It was restored to its approximate original appearance and put on static display at LSTM, where it still remains.

Ownership History:Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul #10200A 1915-1927 / Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific #10200A 1927-1939 / Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific #E50A 1939-1977 / Lake Superior Railroad Museum(Duluth, Minnesota) 1977-present



Facts and Figures


Status:displayed inoperableGauge:4'8.5"
Construction:steelRoof type:AREnded:SE
Length:56'0"Width:10'0"Weight:288000#
#Seats:n/a#Wheels/Conf.:12 (2-B+B)Total HP:1670
Trucks:1-piece castBrakesCompressor:CP-34A
Motors:GE 253A (4)Voltage (if not 600DC):3000vDC

PHOTO PHOTO