The records of this collection include Commencement of Electrification, which has
correspondence related to the early stages of electrification; Contracts with Power
Companies, including correspondence and signed contracts; Discontinuance of
Electrification, which provides correspondence and status reports on ending
electrification; Electrification vs. Dieselization, containing graphs and other data
charting possible costs of both; Electrification vs. Steam, which contains
correspondence and a comparative cost analysis of the two; and Electrification
Locomotive Power Study, which uses correspondence to show the rising costs of
electrification.
The Electrification Department records also contain Employee Records, which has
accident reports, correspondence, injury reports, pension information, seniority
rosters and information on wages; High Speed Trains, which provides correspondence
and data analyzing the possibility of a high-speed train from Chicago to Seattle;
Historical Background, providing correspondence, press releases and magazine
articles about the history of electrification; Loeffelholz Company, consisting of
two train connectors catalogs; Operating Expenses and Statistics, containing
locomotive, car and train mileage.
Additionally, the Electrification Department records include Power Consumption,
comprised of monthly and yearly reports on construction costs, power used and power
costs; Proposals, involving General Electric Company and other groups seeking to
expand electrification services; various Publications; Reports, analyzing several
components of electrification, many of which were compiled by Milwaukee Road
electrical engineers; Steinheimer, Richard, consists of 2 manuscripts on the history
of the Milwaukee Road; Substations, including construction costs, operating expenses
and a parts catalog; Tests, including correspondence and factory reports; Traction
Motor Characteristics, including General Electric motor ratings and motor
specifications; and Tunnel Transmission Lines, consisting of correspondence related
to tunnel circuits.
