This little
train switch engine is all the remains of the locomotive power
of the Milwaukee Road around the depot. The tracks it rides on
is also the last of the rails in this part of Montana. I just received
an email from a nice person who provided significantly more, and
rather interesting information, about this particular locomotive.
Here's the information this nice person sent off to me :
This engine, Milwaukee Road X38000, was built by the Milwaukee
Road for the sole purpose of moving electric locomotives onto and
off of the turntable at the Deer Lodge roundhouse (edited - and
presumably the Harlowtown Roundhouse as well). Steam engines
can move themselves on and off
turntables, but since it was impossible to string trolley wire
over a rotating object like a turntable, the electric locomotives
had to be pushed. This engine was electric and ran off of an extension
cord; it was built by the Milwaukee Road shops on top of a diesel
locomotive truck.
Thanks Frank for the helpful information.
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