Description
Railroad Short Name: MILW
Limited-Run Deluxe Edition Milwaukee Road Twin Cities Hiawatha
Bring all the color and romance of travel by train to your HO Scale layout or collection with these limited-run Deluxe Edition consists. Each replica in the series comes fully assembled with all the features that define WalthersProto models, plus Preiser passengers and crew figures throughout the train, factory installed LED interior lighting, and factory-printed names or numbers as appropriate. Sold only as a complete set, each unique car arrives in the same month as the standard model. Only 300 of each set is produced.
The Milwaukee Road had sweeping plans for its postwar Twin Cities Hiawatha service, completely updating and refitting all four train sets between 1948 and 1953. With amenities normally found only on long-distance streamliners, these daytime trains offered reclining seat coaches, first-rate meals in a full diner, unprecedented views of the passing scenery from the Super Dome and Parlor, and the relaxing luxury of the signature Skytop observation lounges. Based on the original consists finished in orange, maroon and black, this one-of-a kind set includes the 10 exclusive cars shown below, each featuring:
- Over 160 factory-installed Preiser figures
- Black trucks
- Clasp brakes
- Straight side sills
- Folded car steps
- Original ends, no lift rings
And includes one each:
- 63′ Milwaukee Road Railway Post Office #2153
- 75′ Milwaukee Road Express Car #1325 (double-window doors)
- 85′ Milwaukee Road 52-Seat Coach #506
- 85′ Milwaukee Road 52-Seat Coach #511
- 85′ Milwaukee Road 52-Seat Coach #539
- 85′ Milwaukee Road 52-Seat Coach #544
- 85′ Milwaukee Road 48-Seat Diner #125
- 85′ Pullman-Standard Super Dome #59
- 85′ Milwaukee Road 30-Seat Parlor Car “Red River Valley”
- 85′ Milwaukee Road Skytop Lounge “Dell Rapids”
PLEASE NOTE: As these cars are the correct prototype length and feature a full underbody to match the prototypes, a minimum 24″ radius is recommended.
History
For nearly 40 years, the 400 miles (640k) of track between Chicago and the Twin Cities was one of the most hotly contested passenger routes in all of American railroading. Providing business travelers with state-of-the-art, high-speed service – and staying a step ahead of the fierce competition from the CB&Q and the CNW – created the legend that was the Milwaukee Road’s Twin Cities Hiawatha.
Work began on the greatest Hiawatha of them all immediately after WWII, as a collaborative effort between the Milwaukee’s own engineers and famed local industrial designer Brooks Stevens. Entering service in 1948, many of the amenities found only on more expensive overnight runs were standard for the daytime Hiawathas, including plush reclining coach seats and a full diner, while first-class passengers were treated to a traditional parlor and the breathtakingly beautiful Skytop observation-lounges that became the train’s signature cars. As the CB&Q added domes to its Chicago-Twin Cities service, the Milwaukee countered with its new high-level Super Domes in 1953, the only equipment not built in the road’s own shops.
In the fall of 1955, the Milwaukee began operating Union Pacific trains between Chicago-Omaha, and repainted some 40 cars for pool service. Cheaper and more durable, these colors were quickly adopted as the Milwaukee standard. Starting in 1956, cars assigned to Twin Cities Hiawatha service received several upgrades including new trucks with disc brakes, improved diaphragms and notched sidesills, and repainted. In this form, the great train continued running with some adjustments to its consist and schedules through 1971.
Reborn as Amtrak’s Twin Cities Hiawatha from 1972 to 1978, today, its spirit lives on in Amtrak’s daily Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha Service over the same route as its famed namesake.
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