The Twin Cities Hiawatha, The Milwaukee Road's Premier Midwest Passenger Service

In 1935 the Milwaukee Road introduced the Twin Cities Hiawatha, a passenger train that would spawn a whole fleet of famous trains known collectively as Hiawathas. The original Twin Cities Hiawatha operated between Chicago and the Twin Cities and officially began service 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 operated by the railroad (they certainly were the most popular and well-remembered) with most of the rest run 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 hardly a bump or shudder during the ride (both trains could make the jaunt between the two cities in roughly six hours and the Milwaukee's trackside "Reduce to 90" signs are legendary).

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 region (such as the Santa Fe’s Super Chief and the Great Northern’s Empire Builder), so too did the Milwaukee Road’s Hiawathas, which were based from Native American cultures found in the upper Midwest region.

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 the trains operated in the Midwest. 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 transcontinental 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 accents on the Hiawathas. The train featured a livery of two-tone orange and gray and the distinctive Beaver Tail parlor-observation car, a unique twist from the more traditional round-ended observations found on most other streamliners. The Beaver Tail observations were later replaced with the celebrated Sky Top sleeper-lounge observations, perhaps the most distinctive and dramatic observation cars ever built. Designed by industrial designer Brooks Stevens the rear of the cars featured a beautiful solarium lounge that afforded passengers unprecedented views of the outside world (the cars were also used on the Olympian Hi).

The, original, and blazing fast Atlantic steam locomotives use for power likewise received the Kuhler touch. The locomotive featured shrouding over most of its exterior with the running gear partially exposed at the bottom. Perhaps the 4-4-2’s unique feature was its round, bullet-shaped, nose that included wings across its flank with the locomotive's road number featured front and center. The tender was also eye-catching as it featured a very prominent Hiawatha emblem, one of the all-time classic railroad logos ever conceived.

For the next 45 years the regional Hiawathas would soldier on under the Milwaukee Road, although after 1948 the railroad parked its venerable steam locomotives in favor of diesels using EMD's streamlined E9s and E6s models. The train was actually so popular that the railroad continued to upgrade it through 1952 and included services such as diners, Super Domes, and parlors (one unique aspect about the Milwaukee Road was that it home-built nearly its entirely fleet of streamlined equipment when by the 1940s companies like Budd and Pullman were mass-producing streamlined equipment for most other railroads to save on costs).

Today, one can no longer find the Midwest Hiawatha or Twin Cities Hiawatha hustling travelers across the Heartland, and Milwaukee’s route to Omaha, Nebraska and Sioux City, South Dakota is now mostly an empty, weed-covered path slowly being reclaimed by Mother Nature; however, Amtrak carries on the legendary trains to some degree offering Hiawatha regional service between Milwaukee and Chicago.

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.