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  • Milwaukee Electrification

  • Discussion relating to The Chicago & North Western, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road), including mergers, acquisitions, and abandonments.
Discussion relating to The Chicago & North Western, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road), including mergers, acquisitions, and abandonments.

Moderator: Komachi

 #442251  by ljeppson
 
I am one who mourns the loss of the Milwaukee. One historical point which is endlessly interesting to me is the supposed offer of GE to close the gap between the Rocky Mountain and Pacific electrifications. Does anyone know what technology would have been employed? Would the combined system continue to be 3400 Volt DC? How serious was the proposal (I gather that it was quite serious)?

 #442284  by ljeppson
 
I should have added that this proposal was made not long before the Milwaukee retreated from the Pacific Northwest.
 #595934  by Friskens
 
The GE:s offer was such that they offered to underwrite the loan for the catenary system to close the gap with. Why something else then the MILW:s 3k Volt DC would have been choosen eludes me, MILW:s converter stations where numbered as such that a gap in the numbers existed that would have filled the gap with sub-stations, i.e it was planned from the beginning.

From what i understand Underwriting means they got a intrest free-loan on which they only had to pay for the loan downpayments and not the intrest. (there's probably a word for this kind of loan ?) with 50/50 hindsight the closing of the gap would have paid for itself in 4 years ... however the initial study showed a 11 year repayment plan.

Greetings Hans from Sweden