The Photography of Robert Dowler - 2021 March Milwaukee Meet
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- čas přidán 12. 04. 2021
- For our 2021 March Milwaukee Road Meet, Jonathan Fischer shared the Milwaukee Road photography of Robert Dowler. Robert photographed the Milwaukee Road primarily in Eastern Washington and Idaho from the late 1940s through the 1970s. He also spent time documenting the Milwaukee Road in Bellingham during the 1970s.
The Dowler family has generously allowed Jonathan to scan Robert's photos and share them with us in this event. We greatly appreciate Jonathan and the Dowler family for making this presentation possible.
The 2021 March Milwaukee Meet was sponsored by Cascade Rail Foundation, the Milwaukee Road Historical Association - Coast Division, and Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive.
Robert K Dowler was my dad. It pleases me more than you know that others can now see some of dads work. He had a terrific eye for composure, and his Rolliecord camera was a well used instrument.
Hi...Were there any prints made of your Dad's Milwaukee Road at Harlowton painting or Gary's (are you Gary?) pencil drawing at Harlowton? Thanks! Marc
Thank you so much for this presentation. I worked on the Milwaukee from 71 to the end in Chicago u s on signa😢ls and communication. Never got to lines west but talked with the supervisors out there and had a crew that was eventually worked taking catinary down.
I grew up in Harlowton in the 60's. The E57B and the Little Joes were earning their keep. I was in high school in Three Forks for a time and the E's and Joes were there to. Oddly, I learned more about the Milwaukee from Microsofts train simulator than I knew living there. Even with 2 Grandads working for the "Road". Every once in a while I get nostalgic and seek out Milwaukee Road videos. That's why I'm here. When the Milwaukee shut down around '84, it was like turning off the spigot for Harlo. It is a shadow of its former self. I haven't lived there since '68. My parents and Grandparents are buried there. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for the great presentation of the Milwaukee Road from a scale of 1 through 10 I rate this video a 10+ " THE MILWAUKEE LIVES "
The equipment in 40's & 50's all in such good shape.
I might end up making more than one post. Our family lived along the Milwaukee Road Chehalis, WA sub south of Tacoma from 1974 until 1983. That's how the Milwaukee became my favorite. We moved to the Spokane area in 1983. When we got there, a section of the "trench" still existed between Division and Trent Ave. The tracks were long gone but it was hard to imagine the Milwaukee yard stuffed into that narrow concrete canyon. They filled in the last part of the trench in the mid to late 1980's. Concerning the bipolar electrics: According to the books, they were assigned to the coast division. They were great for negotiating the tight curves of the Cascade Range. I think diesels pushed the bipolars into the Rocky Mountain Division by the mid 1950's. I think there were complaints of serious sway and vibration at higher speeds that could be obtained on the less curvy Rocky Mountain Division. Theory was the rough ride at high speed was caused from no gears between the traction motors and wheels. The drive axle was the motor armature shaft. There were 2 sets of windings opposite each other and that's how they got the name bipolar. The vibration I don't think was such a problem on the Coast Division because the curves there didn't permit speeds much over 50mph. The Little Joe's I believe were plated over on the "B" end because they had added a linkage to the throttle control to be able to run diesels in multiple unit form. It was a special engineered thing as diesel throttles have 8 notches and the Joe's had 16. The B end also had that post on the platform to make all the electrical connections for MU operations, so they removed controls on the B end since connections were made to diesels there and controls on the B end would never be used. The SD7 with the large fuel tank may have been the only 1st generation SD the Milwaukee had with such a setup. All my photo records in my possession indicate that unit only had the large tank. Also, the Milwaukee had one SD7 or SD9 that had dynamic brakes, according to my photo records while all the rest were non-dynamic. I think it ended up on the Dakota Southern on the Milwaukee Rapid City division after 1980. Like this video.
Caboose 01608 still exists. It’s on a farm near Port Angeles. Under cover and still well taken care of.
Wow! Amazing man. I knew him a little. I lived in Bellingham in 90s and you guys were at the HO club in the basement. Since I moved to California but I still remember...thank you. Truly
Thank you. Having grown up in Bellingham - and working in a hobby store located in the former Milwaukee office building at the corner of Railroad and Chestnut Streets - the old pics are near and dear. Nice work.
Loved the pictures! I had two generations of family live in Avery during the time the trains were running. Thank you for all the hard work!
Fantastic presentation! 👍🏻👌🏻👏🏻
Huge fan of (some say addicted to, obsessed with) the Milwaukee Road, much thanks to Mr. Hyde's book Milwaukee Road (crikey, 32 years!)....around 80 books and counting now, plus a FT manual in their colours, a bucket and a Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad lantern!
Can never get too much of Milwaukee Road, right? 😉
Greetings from a Swede in Glasgow, Scotland!
Wow! So you knew Ted Holloway! He was our hobbyist at Columbia Cycle & Hobby in Spokane. I loved going there and talking railroad history with him. Always talked about his visits to the Milwaukee in Idaho and Montana! He invited me to his home to see his image collections and 8mm films he recorded of the Milwaukee in Montana but I never took him up on that. Wish I had. Also, I don't think Ted ever had a car. He was just down the street from the Cycle & Hobby shop so he either walked or rode his bike to work or the store. When he went out of town he was travelling with someone else that had a car.
This is phenomenal - Thank you.
E-2 is preserved in St. Louis.
Awesome vid
Thank you for sharing. Many of those pics I’ve never seen before. I have so many new modeling ideas. My first child is Avery and my second child’s middle name is Harlow. Yes, I love “the Road”.
21:50 the time period that all molders shoot for. That steam/diesel cross. My mom always said I was born in the wrong era, but now I can model it to perfection....so maybe not.
I was the last working foreman in Everett. Is there a presentation on Everett?
at 33:06 could it be a coals fire transfer? where they transfer the fire from an out going train to another inbound train to help in the heat up?
X195 looks like a pile driver to me. The boom pivoted up, and the top platform would rotate to set piles or poles.
thanks, intrigued why everybody has to get themselves on video, . No picture of the commentator , be different
I'm wondering if the two structures were loco blowdown boxes to direct the steam up rather than straight out to the sides?
🎉🎉🎉
Hi...Were there any prints made of the Robert Dowler Milwaukee Road at Harlowton painting or Gary's pencil drawing at Harlowton? Thanks! Marc
The mystery car is probably not in service. A semi permanent ladder is attached on the left side of the car. Also the looks as if the rails are cut . There are spaces in the rails. A quill is a type of drive that transfers the rotational power from the motors to the wheels. The PRR P5a and the GG-1s I believe had quill drives. I was a hollow axel surrounding the solid axel of the driving wheels with a cup drive. Too much to explain in such a little space.
I didn't know the Milwaukee actually went into Spokane
I think that the structures may have been for blowing down the boilers on steam engines.
Milw X105 is a piledriver
The B.N. and their politicians Ended the Pacific Coast Extension . They made damn sure the Milwaukee Road was pulled up So they never had to worry about competition Again . I think the Milwaukee should've merged with the S.P. Would have made a perfect connection in Kansas city and Seatle and would've kicked the B.Ns ass like they needed
WOW, Finally my friend Dowler has gotten his due. He helped me with his rare photos for my MRHA book, "Milŵaukee Road's Wooden Cabòoses" still for sale at MRHA company store/caboose book publications, please get one, all $ goes to MRHA, thanks.