E57B is an electric locomotive, not a tender. The Milwaukee Road was electrified from Harlowton, MT, to Avery, ID. Harlowton had a shop that maintained the electric locomotives.

There’s nothing wrong with having an obsession with the Milwaukee Road.

The two concrete structures around the 12 minute mark,  just before Roundup, were part of a flour mill. I grew up on our ranch just a mile from the old grain elevator you showed.  The Milwaukee ran directly through the middle of our ranch. My family homesteaded in 1886. The train once killed about 400 head of our sheep that got out and on the line.  I was born in Roundup and am 5th generation to the Musselshell area.  It will always be my home.

Milwaukee Roads Pacific extension, has always been very interesting to me on how such a Railroad operated on a shoestring operating budget for so long.  Thanks for sharing

I visited Harlowton in May 1980, right after the shutdown. That must have been a huge blow for these very remote towns.

I am a big fan of the Milwaukee ..its sad after all this work,they just tore it down....

Thanks. I love anything Milwaukee Road. My dad worked for them as a section foreman 1920 to 1957. So my heart belongs to them.

My family farmed 30 miles north of Ingomar. Each year we would go chokecherry picking along Highway 12, enroute to Roundup. After our buckets were full, we’d always stop in the small store at Melstone to buy a Wilcoxin’s Ice Cream treat.

Also, for a few years after the school at Ingomar shut down, someone ran it as a high class “Bunk n Biscuit” where you could rent a room, spread out your bedroll (bring your own biscuit) and spend a night or two in Montana shooting Prairie Dogs. 😂

The history of the Milwaukee Road is fascinating.  The Great Northern and the Northern Pacific preceded the western extension and had claimed the better routes.  Incompetent management was a huge factor in its demise.  The electrified section was dismantled because the management decided to sell the copper wire installed above the track.  Shady bookkeeping resulted in double entries of expenses.  The directors and senior management diverted millions of dollars to real estate ventures rather than maintaining the rail operation.

You are the Bob Ross of ghost towns.  Nice work.

Minor correction —
The E57B was a boxcab-style electric locomotive built in 1915 for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) and is now preserved on static display in Harlowton, Montana. Originally part of an EF-1 class two-unit set, it was later reclassified as an ES-3 unit and used for switching duties after the railroad's electrification was split up. E57B, along with E34C, was one of the last electric locomotives to operate on the Milwaukee Road, running its last train on June 15, 1974, the same day the power was turned off on the railway's electrification.
Miles City train station looks great. What a collection of bridges!

It's amazing how so many of those old telephone poles have outlasted the Pacific Extension!

I was born and raised in Montana, finished school in 1973 and immediately left for opportunity.  My mom and I both loved my returns as we could go history hunting.  We checked out Harlotown a few years after the Milwaukee left and took the town's economy.  At that time (around 1980?), livable houses were for sale at a price of $2,000. It has rebounded since then.  Anyway, what a deal.  And that shows the effect of rail abandonment to the small towns along the route.

My great grandfather was a car repairman for the Milwaukee RR in Minneapolis. His passing was in the September 1958 company magazine. I have followed much of the RR that you have and took a lot of photos of the abandoned buildings. Fascinating

My father worked on the Milwaukee Road in the later 40s and early 50s. When my parents were first married they lived in Avery Idaho. After having my two oldest brothers they moved to Butte where he went to work for the BA&P. We would explore along the railroad tracks in all directions and see what was there.  Thanks. I look forward to the next one.

Ran Oil Field loads ; there in Montana , in the 1980's and have been in several of those towns , that is the most beautiful country ...still takes my breath away . Also ; my family took trips , before the Electrics were gone , and the Milwaukee Road ran along the highway in Idaho , and Montana.   God I will always love my young years and my lovely country , forever.  Christopher M Loomis  ... 🇺🇸💯♥

I like how you did not drive over the volunteer converted bridge. Smart man.

Really enjoyed this, thank you!

In 1915 my great grandfather left Oskaloosa with a friend, they both bought half sections a couple of miles north of Vananda.  In 1916 he moved the family, his wife, my grandmother and her two sisters to their new ranch.  That first year, the wheat crop was OK but not again.  Getting hungry, they moved into Vanada, Great Gramp became the railroad Section man for the Milwaukee, the girls and mom ran the boarding house.  We've got photos of the girls on the steps of that brick school that they were obviously very proud of.  Only a few short years later, they left Vananda and returned to the Oskaloosa area.  Photos of their home, the ranch, the Rim Rock, etc.

In the 80's Gramp and Gram made the trip from Wisconsin to Ingomar for an All Class Reunion, reuniting with their long ago chums.

Love the focus on railroad stuff but it’s not just trains, the towns and what they offer is also interesting. It’s a good balance, video moves quickly.

I rode the Milwaukee Road from Wisconsin to Three Forks Mt in 1958. My father worked for the them as a machinist so it didn't cost us anything. I rode Milwaukee Road trains many many times. Thank you for the video and history lesson.