The Milwaukee Road's Hiawathas (Great Passenger Trains)

In 1935, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad-better known as the Milwaukee Road-introduced a new passenger service, one of the nation's first regularly scheduled streamlined passenger trains. Traveling from Chicago to Milwaukee and the Twin Cities-the train traveled routes steeped in native lore, and thus was called the Hiawatha. By 1945, there were three routes-the Twin Cities Hiawatha, the North Woods Hiawatha, and the Midwest Hiawatha-and the Hiawathas became known as the "Fastest Trains in America," clocking over 100 miles per hour on daily runs. This authoritative, illustrated history follows the Hiawathas as they powered into American railroad legend. Veteran railroad writer and photographer John Gruber gives a detailed account of the trains from 1935 to 1971. He examines their motive power—the early fleet of steam locomotives that first wore the streamlined Hiawatha shrouds and the diesel engines that followed in the 1950s—as well as their distinctive rolling stock, such as the classic ""Super Domes"" and the observation cars known as Skytop Lounges. Dozens of black-and-white archival images and period color photographs recreate the Hiawathas’ heyday, capturing the texture of the time in details such as uniforms, car interiors and terminals, stations, and routes. Accompanied by period ads, design drawings, and route maps, this history offers a dramatic visual record of the railroad’s bygone glory days.