The following was supplied thanks to Mark Borleske who has been truly tireless in this project.

1906 Milwaukee Road "Pacific Coast Extension" plans made public

1908 (October) rail service complete from Columbia River to St. Paul Pass Tunnel (Idaho-Montana)

May 19,1909 Golden Spike driven at Garrison, Montana

July 4,1909 through freight service inaugurated

July 10,1910 through passenger service inaugurated

May 1911 "Olympian" and "Columbian" passenger trains

August 5, 1914 breakthrough in the middle of boring the Snoqualmie Tunnel

January 24,1915. First train through the Snoqualmie Tunnel, Olympian

1920 Coast Division Electrification completed

March 5,1920. Milwaukee Road officials and press party inspection train from Seattle to Cle Elum commemorating the opening of the 207-mile Coast Division electrification

March 6,1920. Kent, WA. face-off between electric bi-polar and steam locomotive. The electric locomotive succeeds dramatically in this publicity event.

1925 Bankruptcy and receivership (first)

1926 Milwaukee Road sold and reorganized

1927 renamed Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad following bankruptcy sale in Butte, Montana

1927, July 5. Last addition to electrification completed, Black River Jct. to Seattle Union Station, 10 miles.

1927 Mileposts changed to originate in Chicago

1935 Second Bankruptcy

1941 Milwaukee Road purchases first diesel locomotive

1945 Reorganization following Second bankruptcy

June 29,1947 Inauguration of "Olympian Hiawatha" streamliner (the Olympian becomes Olympian Hiawatha)

December 2,1949 the lodge at Milwaukee Ski Bowl burns to the ground

1950 Milwaukee Road’s "Centennial Year"

1952 Superdome cars added to the "Olympian Hiawatha"

1955 "Columbian" passenger train dropped from service

1958 "piggyback" freight service inaugurated

1958 bipolar electric locomotives transferred from Coast Division to Rocky Mountain Division (Idaho & Montana)

1961, May 23. End of passenger service in Washington as Olympian west of Deer Lodge, MT discontinued.

1963 XL Special (westbound 261) and "Thunderhawk" (eastbound 262) expedited scheduled freight trains inaugurated

1970 Burlington Northern merger (Milwaukee’s major competitors join together)

1972 Coast Division electrification ends.

October 31,1974. Cle Elum is eliminated as a crew change point. Tacoma crews run through to Othello. Ending lunchroom, bunkhouse and continuous station operation at Cle Elum.

1977 Milwaukee Road’s third bankruptcy since 1925

December 1977 to April 1978. Amtrak reroutes over the Milwaukee Road due to washouts on BN’s Stampede Pass route (Easton to Argo)

March 13,1980- Last westbound Freight

February 19,1985- Milwaukee Road sold to the SOO Line

January 1, 1986- Milwaukee Road absorbed into the SOO Line

(Mark W. Borleske- March 2000)

Milwaukee Road Coast Division Electrification Dedication

The Milwaukee Road became a pioneer in operating long distance electric trains after the turn of the Century. It electrified its main line in the Montana Rockies and the Idaho Bitter Roots, extending from Harlowton, Montana to Avery, Idaho a distance of 440 miles by 1916. The Rocky Mountain Division electrification was so successful that the Milwaukee Road management decided to electrify the mountain sections of their route in Washington State, known as the Coast Division. Construction was underway, and as World War I was winding down, the Milwaukee Road was ready to run electric trains in Washington State, from Othello, across the Columbia River Basin, up the Saddle Mountains, across the Cascades and on to Puget Sound, eventually 214 miles of electrified main line in Washington state.

By early March 1920, the newspaper could report:

"Test runs have been made each day this week and all equipment is in excellent operating order The trolleys, transmission lines and substation equipment have been completed for several months, but construction of the locomotives which will command as much pulling power as three steam locomotives was delayed owing to the war. "

Finally all the elements were in place, new locomotives were received, the moment had come; March 5, 1920. The dedication of the Milwaukee Road’s Coast Division electrification was a major event. It made the headlines for both the Seattle Times and the Post-Intelligencer. It represented the apex of technology and it was significant for it carried the image of harnessing the abundant natural power of water and applying it to move trains through mountains. The Seattle Times proclaimed "Current derived from Mount Rainier Glaciers." This represented a truly revolutionary idea and captured the imagination and attention of the country which was riveted to the latest technological and scientific advances.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer headline for Friday, March 5,1920 read "Milwaukee Train will Start East with Electric Locomotives Today. Olympian to be Pioneer Steamless Route in Mountains".

"Preceding the electrically pulled Olympian on its trip across the Cascade mountains will be a special electrical demonstration train carrying transportation officials, electrical authorities and press representatives." A total of 114 guests were on board. The demonstration train ran in advance of the Olympian from Union Station (then known as OW Station) in Seattle. The train was steam powered out of Seattle and an electric locomotive was added at Renton Junction. A stop was made at Cedar Falls to tour and inspect substation Number 26. Lunch was served aboard the train. "The special train was side tracked to allow the Olympian to proceed to Chicago. The special ran to Cle Elum where another transforming station was inspected." The train arrived Cle Elum at 3:05 p.m. and departed for Seattle at 4:25 p.m.

There have been a number of photographs by Asahel Curtis and others of the group of railroad dignitaries at the Cle Elum substation. They are lined up wearing their dark coats, dark hats and displaying their cigars in front of the substation for the classic pose. According to the article from the PI of March 6,1920, the guests and dignitaries included: Vice President H. B. Earling, Macy Nicholson, General Manager, J.L. Brown, Assistant Superintendent, R. Vietch, Assistant Traffic Manager, R. Beeuwkes, Chief Electrical Engineer, H.W. Williams, and officials from other railroads including G.W. Mertens, General Manager of the Pacific Coast Line. John Fox was engineer, Fireman Elmer Ritter and two conductors W.J.Flavin and William Simmons.