Old Railroad Switch Engine

Photo of an old engine in Harlowtown

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.

Harlowtown, Montana : Overview and Guide
Harlowtown Pictures
Home Page of Big Sky Fishing.Com

Photo Use Policy