The Trains and Locomotives: the Milwaukee Road Between Plummer and Spokane

The Trains – and Other Operational Necessities

WB MILW Mainline Trains (as seen in Fall 1973) per Rob Leachman and other sources:

• 261TC: Train originated at Pig’s Eye.  Fords from St. Paul and Chryslers from Belvidere IL, plus fill of Spokane, Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland traffic from Pig’s Eye Yard.  Train was blocked in Aberdeen with blocks for Plummer, Seattle TOFC, Seattle other, Tacoma, Portland.  Setout Spokane block in early afternoon. 
•  261C:  Train originated at Bensenville.  GM autos from Janesville WI.  Train was blocked in Aberdeen with blocks for Plummer, Seattle TOFC, Seattle other, Tacoma, Portland.  Setout Spokane business at Plummer in afternoons.  Included auto racks (usually 3-5), piggyback (1 orange MILZ to be de-ramped in East Spokane and then drayed to a steady customer in Kennewick, and occasionally a little TOFC for Spokane) and box cars (1 or 2 40-ft boxes of Canadian newsprint for the Spokane newspaper, general merchandise in BN or Milw box cars for Spokane retailers, plus an occasional URTX/MILW icer of meat from Sioux City). 
• 263C: This was the lower priority train that handled mostly boxcar loads.  Train was blocked in Deer Lodge with blocks for Plummer, Othello, Seattle TOFC, Seattle other, Tacoma, Portland.
• Dead Freight (Westbound – former 265 until Dec-72):  Leachman “I do not know anything about what blocks Pig's Eye made for DFW. Nor do I know what, if any, distant blocks were maintained or made by Aberdeen and Deer Lodge.  There were a lot of lumber and paper empties and grain loads going to the Coast on this train, so it's quite possible there was a Tacoma block handled on the rear.”  The train was reblocked at every division point - Aberdeen, Miles City, Harlowton, Deer Lodge, Avery, Othello so that all short work on its division was at the head end of the train.

EB MILW Mainline Trains (as seen in Fall 1973): 

• Adv 262S:  Handled autos assembled in the S.F. Bay Area (interchanged SP-MILW at Portland, destined to Spokane and Butte), Bensenville, Franklin Park TOFC, and Pig’s Eye blocks (mostly KC interchange) out of Tacoma and Seattle.  Train assembled in Tacoma. 
• 2^nd 262S:  Handled Bensenville, Franklin Park TOFC and Pig’s Eye blocks (mostly KC interchange) of traffic out of Tacoma and Seattle.  Train assembled in Tacoma.  Per Rob Leachman traffic could have been split between Adv 262 and 262 in a way so that one train was mostly Chicago blocked to Franklin Park TOFC and Bensenville, while the other train was all Pig’s Eye (mostly KC interchange) on the other.  MILW had enough priority “Long East” traffic to fill two trains, pus enough lumber, plywood, wood pulp and paper to fill two more.
• 264S:  High value train of “Long East” lumber, plywood and wood pulp loads, plus empty auto racks on the rear to keep the TOB down to a reasonable level.  Train assembled at Tacoma.
• Dead Freight EB (Eastbound – former 266 until Dec-72):  DFE stopped to set out at Plummer empty grain, wood chip, cement and lumber cars.  DFE normally was in and out of Plummer in the wee hours before sunrise, so I don't know if DFE typically had much to pick up in Plummer (in theory some of the wood chips from Usk might have gone to Missoula instead of to the Coast, and on occasion there would be milling-in-transit loads going to St. Maries or to Bonner/Missoula).  Leachman: “My IMPRESSION is that 266 out of Black River had blocks rear to head for Pig's Eye and beyond, Othello and beyond, and shorts to Othello in station order. I do not know if it had a Bensenville block, but it's possible.”  The train was reblocked at every division point - Aberdeen, Miles City, Harlowton, Deer Lodge, Avery, Othello so that all short work on its division was at the head end of the train.

In October 1973 MILW suffered a “disasterous rash of derailments” (attribute: Leachman), which is when traffic started to be driven away.

MILW Spokane Area Trains

• Train 63/64: MILW Plummer Turn (Spokane to Plummer): ran between Spokane and Plummer - usually at night.  It sometimes ran during daylight: Leachman example was when they ran out of crews and had to dog-catch the Metaline Falls job.  Delivered cars to mainline at Plummer: “The Turn lined up pick-ups for 262 (priority loads of plywood and lumber, empty TOFC) 264 (empty auto racks, more lumber) and 265 (grain, wood chips and cement going west and a little lumber going south via Portland SP), then collected the setouts from 261 and 263 and returned to East Spokane.” (Leachman).  Train typically ran with 3-4 U23B/U25B/U28B/GP9ph3 in 1973.  Leachman photo of a rare daylight move at East Mica from 1975:

•  291/292:  Ran from MILW yard Spokane to Metaline Falls, Metaline Falls to Spokane.  Departed Spokane at 2230.  Arr Metaline Falls 0340.  Back on duty 1600, back to Spokane 2215.  Worked the entire 22^nd Subdivision of the Coast Division.  Used two or three 4-axle Coast Division locos (U23B/U25B/U28B/ and occasionally GP9ph3) for power prior to recession, then two around 1975 and later.  Internet photo at Metaline Falls from 1981 or so:

• Coeur D’Alene turn: Ran from MILW yard Spokane to Coeur D’Alene and return.  Ran Spokane – Dishman – McGuires (on 22^nd Subdivision - Metaline Falls line).  McGuires to Coeur D’Alene is the 23^rd Subdivision of the Coast Division.  Used one SW1200 for power.  BN local trains 95 and 96 are present in the MILW ETT, MILW trains ran extra.

• UP Locals 387/388 to and from Kellogg ID (routed Spokane – Dishman - Manito – Plummer – Kellogg): A big train with 5-6 units for power in 1972.  Down to 4 in 1975.  Train ran from UP Spokane – Mica – Manito – Worley – Plummer – Kellogg.  Train 388 ran by ETT 1.5 hours ahead of MILW Plummer turn headed toward Plummer (train 64).  On the return, UP 388 to run approximately 15 minutes behind MILW Plummer turn returning to Spokane (train 65).  Both railroads likely set up operations this way to avoid train meets.  Leachman photo in 1975:

• UP Locals 391/392 to and from Tekoa and Ayer WA (routed Spokane – Dishman – Manito – Tekoa):  Until Spring 1972, train handled odd cars and autoracks since these cars would not clear the Spokane passenger station umbrella sheds.  Otherwise handled cars to and from Palouse towns on train route.  Leachman photo of 392 in 1975:

MILW Locomotive notes: 

• 261C, 261TC, Adv262, 262: 3 SD40-2 
• Dead Freights: GP40/GP40/SD45 – SD45/SD45 locotrol sets or GE lashups of 3-4 units, such as 3 U36Cs, U33C/U30B/U28B/U28B, U25B/U28B/U25B U33/36C, etc. 
• FP45s sometimes replaced SD40-2s or SD45s
• After the electrification was discontinued one or two of the time freights each way ran with Locotrol too.

UP Locomotive notes:
- Trains 387/388 and 389/390 ran with mixed GP30/GP30B/GP9/GP9B in 1973.  If I were to push to 1974 era, I could add GP38-2s as you can see in Rob Leachman's photos above.

What is next?  Lots more research on MILW cars and locos, train lists, actual caboose assignments, track layouts, Spokane MILW industries, etc.  Also, I'd like to dig up lots more photos of trains, depots, cabooses, industries, etc.  Finally, basement prep and some track planning.  Thanks for reading.  Lots to do, but it is exciting for sure. 

This information was assembled with the assistance of Rob Leachman, Matthew Sugerman, and Dan Holbrook. Thanks guys!