Milwaukee Road class EF-1: Difference between revisions

The [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] ([[Milwaukee Road]]) classes '''EP-1''' and '''EF-1''' comprised 42 [[boxcab]] [[electric locomotives]] built by the [[American Locomotive Company]] (Alco) in [[1915 in rail transport|1915]]. Electrical components were from [[General Electric]]. The locomotives were composed of two half-units semi-permanently coupled back-to-back, and numbered as one unit with 'A' and 'B' suffixes. As built, 30 locomotives were assigned to freight service, classified as EF-1 and numbered 10200–10229. The remaining twelve locomotives were assigned to passenger service as class EP-1, numbered 10100–10111, with higher-speed passenger gearing. The design was highly successful, replacing a much larger number of steam locomotives, cutting costs and improving schedules. General Electric self-proclaimed this electric locomotive to be the '''“King of the Rails”''' in a silent promotional film from 1915.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_LmA8_7oW0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/o_LmA8_7oW0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live| title= King of the Rails|date=26 February 2012 |publisher= General Electric silent promotional film, 1915|accessdate=February 7, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 19501953, two EF-1 locomotives, E22AE69A/B and E23AE28A/B were converted back into passenger service as class EP-1A to help the aging [[Bi-Polar (locomotive)|Bi-Polar]]s on the [[Puget Sound]] Extension. The first to receive this treatment was E69, which became E22A/B. During the rebuilding process, they received steam generators, engine trucks from scrapped F7 Hudsons, and high speed gearing. E28 E22soon followed a few months later and emerged as E23A/B. E22A and E23A received some smoothing of itstheir appearanceappearances, including somewhat "streamlined" cab fronts. They were later repainted into the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] scheme of Armour Yellow with Harbor Mist Gray roofs, and red dividing lines. After rebuilding, they could develop 4500&nbsp;hp. These two locomotives served until March 1961 in this role; at which time, the E23A and E23B were renumbered E22D and E22C. The EP-1a's all became a part of EF-5 E22A/B/C/D until 1966 when E22C was wrecked and the 3 remaining units operated as A/B/D set. E22A/B/D was finally scrapped in 1973.

The fleet stayed intact until 1951, when two EF-1s were retired – E51A+B and E68A+B. Two units of an EF-2 were retired in 1954, and the remaining numbers held steady until the mid-1960s, when old age began to take its toll. Locomotives were patched- up until un-repairableunrepairable, and units within were swapped between locomotives without being renumbered.

Most were retired by the end of 1973, but one unit, E57B and its "bobtail" companion, were kept in service as the [[Harlowton, Montana]], switcher until June 1974.

* {{cite journal |last=Edson |first=William D. |date=Spring 1977 |title=Milwaukee Road All Time Steam, Diesel and Electric RosterLocomotives |location=Boston, MassachusettsMass. |journal=[[Railroad History]] |publisher=Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Inc. |issuevolume=136 |pages=110–113 |jstor=43523967}}