The Olympian Hiawatha, Milwaukee Road's Flagship To The Pacific Northwest

In the late 1940s the Milwaukee Road introduced the Olympian Hiawatha, the transcontinental version of the railroad’s very popular fleet of Hiawatha passenger trains. The original version of the train was the Twin Cities Hiawatha, which began operating between Chicago and the Twin Cities on May 29, 1935, one of the first streamlined trains ever to be introduced in the U.S. For the Milwaukee itself, the Hiawathas were virtually the only streamlined passenger trains run by the railroad (they certainly were the most popular and well-remembered) with the rest operated in conjunction with Union Pacific. Originally powered by 4-4-2 Atlantic-type steam locomotives (later 4-6-4 Hudson-types) the train was entirely streamlined, including the locomotive, and home-built in the Milwaukee’s own shops. These trains became instantly successful and regularly cruised over 100 mph with nary a bump or shudder during the ride (both trains could make the jaunt between the two cities in roughly six hours).

The original Twin Cities Hiawatha was ingeniously conceived. Like many other famous streamlined passengers trains, which played on themes of either the geography in which they operated or historic cultures found within their regions (such as the Santa Fe’s Super Chief and the Great Northern’s Empire Builder), so too did the Milwaukee’s Hiawathas (which were based from Native American cultures found in the upper Midwest regions).

These regional trains offered by the Milwaukee Road became so successful that the railroad found itself short on demand and to meet such eventually operated two versions of the train, the Morning Hiawatha and the Afternoon Hiawatha. There were eventually four versions of Milwaukee Roads’ regional Hiawathas. These included the Twin Cities Hiawatha, North Woods Hiawatha (served New Lisbon, Wisconsin to Minocqua, Wisconsin), Chippewa Hiawatha (served Chicago; Ontonagon, Michigan; and Milwaukee and Green Bay), and the Midwest Hiawatha (from Chicago this train served both Omaha, Nebraska and Sioux Falls, South Dakota). However, these Midwest versions were not the only Hiawathas the Milwaukee ever operated.

With the success of its regional Hiawathas, in 1947, about twelve years after the railroad first launched its Twin Cities Hiawatha, the railroad introduced the streamlined Olympian Hiawatha, a train meant to fully compete with the Great Northern and Northern Pacific for rail travel to and from the Pacific Northwest (the Milwaukee had operated the Olympian and Columbian since 1911 over its Pacific Extension but these trains used heavyweight equipment and were pulled by conventional steam locomotives).

The Milwaukee Road’s Hiawathas owe their creation to industrial designer Otto Kuhler, the same man who designed the Baltimore & Ohio’s regal Capitol Limited and its classic royal blue, gold, and gray livery. Kuhler designed similar stunning features on the Hiawathas. However, it was Brook Stevens, who designed the celebrated Sky Top sleeper-lounge observations (perhaps the most distinctive and dramatic observation cars ever built) that created the Milwaukee Road’s Olympian Hiawatha.

The train featured passenger equipment (save for the cars purchased from Pullman) entirely homebuilt by the railroad’s own shop forces, which along with the beautiful Sky Top observations included cars such as the Super Domes, which allowed for full car-length, panoramic viewing.

When the train initially began on June 29, 1947 it included a mix of heavy and lightweight cars but by 1949 when the Pullman equipment arrived it was an entirely streamlined, lightweight train. For power the Olympian Hiawatha featured Erie-Built, diesel locomotives manufactured by Fairbanks-Morse. These trains pulled the train west from Chicago to Harlowton, Montana when it was handed over to the GE Boxcab and “Little Joe” electrics which carried the train as far west as Avery, Idaho and then again between Othello, Washington and finally, Seattle. While aesthetically quite stunning with added touches by Brooks Stevens of a chromed-nose design with “Olympian Hiawatha” adorning the locomotive along its flanks, the Erie-Builts were not very reliable and were soon pulled from service.

Overall the Olympian Hiawatha featured much of the same exterior colors of two-tone orange as its Midwestern cousins. On the interior, along with the popular Sky Top and Super Dome cars the train featured sleepers, diners, and lounges bedecked in wood veneering. However, for all of the Milwaukee Road’s efforts to compete with the Great Northern and Northern Pacific in the highly competitive Pacific Northwest market, including a several page promotional booklet and main line through the Rocky Mountains and “Big Sky Country” (Montana) that was arguably the most gorgeous and scenic, it could not effectively do so (part of the problem was likely due to the fact of not only the railroad's late entrance into the Pacific Northwest but also the Olympian Hi's inauguration, which came almost twenty years after the Empire Builder and almost a full half-century after the North Coast Limited).

Whatever the reason why, the train lasted a mere 14 years and the Milwaukee Road bowed out of the Pacific Northwest market, canceling the train in 1961. It’s a shame that a train which operated through some of the most stunningly beautiful areas of the country, and was the only transcontinental flagship to be operated by a single railroad, had to call it quits barely into the 1960s.

In any event, today, while Amtrak carriers on the legendary Hiawatha service, to some degree, offering Hiawatha regional trains between Milwaukee and Chicago, the Olympian Hiawatha and the route it traveled are sadly relegated to history and the memories of those who were lucky enough to ride it. In the 1970s the Milwaukee Road began making dumbfounding managerial decisions that ultimately led to the railroad’s undoing in the late 1970s and subsequent abandonment of all lines west of Terry, Montana.

For more reading on the Milwaukee Road 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!

Also, to learn more about the Milwaukee’s famous Olympian Hiawatha and the other Hiawatha services consider purchasing a copy of The Milwaukee Road’s Hiawathas from authors Brian Solomon and John Gruber. The 160-page book details the entire 36-year history of the trains from 1935 through 1971 and is filled with photographs. If you’re interested in general history and overview of the Milwaukee’s premier passenger services you will definitely enjoy this book.