"Little Joes," The Milwaukee Road's Famous Electrics

The Milwaukee Road’s "Little Joes" were the last such locomotives purchased by the railroad. How they ended up on the Milwaukee is a rather twist of fate. However, the locomotives operated flawlessly and they became the most revered motors ever operated on the Milwaukee Road. The Little Joes were used in service until the Milwaukee’s western electrified lines were shutdown in 1974 with one saved from the scrapper’s torch and now on display in Deer Lodge, Montana.

The unique Little Joe electrics were built by General Electric in 1946 to fill an order placed by the Soviet Railways to operate on a 3,300 volt, DC system. However, upon the order being completed relations had broken down between the United States and Russia (thus plunging us into the Cold War) and the locomotives had no place to go, with all 20 sitting at GE’s Erie, Pennsylvania plant awaiting purchase.

The Little Joes derived their name from the Soviet Union’s ruler, Joseph Stalin originally being called Little Joe Stalin's locomotives and later shortened to just Little Joes. From a technical standpoint these motors carried a 2-D+D-2 wheel arrangement, were equipped with eight GE 750 motors, and operated on a 3,000 volt DC system (perfect for the Milwaukee Road) with a continuous rating of 5,500 horsepower! While geared rather low with a maximum speed of just 68 mph they produced 75,700 pounds of tractive effort and would prove to be perfect in stiff, mountainous territory.

Needing to sell the locomotives, GE offered to test one on the Milwaukee Road in the late 1940s, which interestingly had to be regauged to 4 feet 8 ½ inches from the five foot specifications for Soviet Railways. Of the twenty built, the Milwaukee would go on to purchase 12 in 1950 with three picked up by the commuter line Chicago, South Shore & South Bend and the other five sold to Brazilian railroad, Paulista Railway.

After arrival on the Milwaukee Road the railroad quickly set to putting them into service. Initially two were singled out for passenger service and designated class EP-4 (they carried the Milwaukee’s plush Olympian Hiawatha passenger train, which operated between Seattle and Chicago) with the rest used in freight operations and designated class EF-4s (after the Milwaukee ended passenger service to Seattle in 1961 the two motors designated for such were reclassified to EF-4s as well).

The Little Joes were purchased to replace the Milwaukee’s aging fleet of electrics which consisted of elderly GE boxcabs; classes EP-1, EF-1, and EP-2 (Bi-Polars). The unreliable Bi-Polars were finally scrapped in 1962 and the original EP-1s and EF-1s were retired following the purchase of the EF-4s in 1950 (however, boxcab classes EF-2, EF-3, and EF-5 remained in service along with the Little Joes until the end).

The EF-4s proved to be a reliable and effective motor across the Milwaukee’s Rocky Mountain and Coast Divisions where grades through the Bitterroots and Cascades sometimes peaked over 2%. If you were lucky enough to see these magnificent locomotives in action they could regularly be seen assisting expedited freights with names like XL Special and Thunderhawk over the grades of St. Paul Pass and through Snoqualmie Tunnel in Washington State.

Until 1961 the Little Joes also assisted in carrying the regal Olympian Hiawatha passenger train from Harlowton, Montana and Avery Idaho; and then again picking up the train from Othello, Washington the rest of the way to Seattle (a gap in the Milwaukee’s electrified territory existed between Avery and Othello). The two Little Joes designated for this service were painted in a splendid matching livery of two-tone orange and after the Milwaukee Road ended the Olympian Hi the units were returned to the more traditional solid orange with black trim.

For the Little Joes, not only were they the last electrics purchased by the Milwaukee Road but the locomotives also made history by heading the final runs of electrified operations in June of 1974. One of these last runs occurred on June 15th when electrics E73 and E20 lead train 264 into Deer Lodge, Montana. After the June shutdown the Little Joes remained in storage on the system until all were eventually scrapped, save for unit E70 which was donated to the City of Deer Lodge and today is displayed on the courthouse lawn painted in the Milwaukee’s Olympian Hiawatha livery.

For more reading on the Milwaukee Road and you might want to consider The Milwaukee Road from Tom Murray. Of course, being that the Milwaukee is a legend in the ranks of fallen flags, hundreds of publications (many quite good) have been written about it over the years detailing various subjects. However, this book is a superb publication and will at least give you a general overview and history of the CMStP&P (and it is filled with many, excellent, historical and colorful photographs) at which point you can decide if you are interested in further books of study on the railroad. Even if you are a historian and/or fan of the Milwaukee and have not seen this book I'm sure you will enjoy it!

And, for more reading about the Milwaukee's Little Joe and other electrics consider Electric Locomotives from Brian Solomon. Not only does the book give a nice overview about the Milwaukee Road's electrified operations it also covers American electric locomotive technology in general.

It is interesting to note that just after the Milwaukee Road shutdown its electrification the oil embargo hit causing oil prices to shoot through the roof and resulted in the railroad not only spending millions on fuel but also new locomotives to replace the electrics.

In any event, today electrics no longer conquer St. Paul Pass on the Rocky Mountain Division and all is quiet over the famous Pacific Extension except for the sound of Mother Nature and the occasional hiker along a number of rail/trails. However, the sprinting Indian logo lives on with the Milwaukee Road Historical Association and Amtrak continues to operate a passenger train named after the famous Indian.