Milwaukee Road

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Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

Milwaukee Road system map
Twin Cities Hiawatha postcard from 1935
Overview
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Reporting mark	MILW
Locale	Midwestern and Western United States
Dates of operation	1847–1986
Successor	Soo Line Railroad Most trackage in South Dakota and Montana is now operated by the BNSF Railway Some trackage in Washington is now operated by the Union Pacific Railroad Some trackage in the Midwest is now operated by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Railway and Soo Line Railroad's successor. Some trackage in Wisconsin and Illinois is now operated by the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	11,248 miles (18,102 km) (1929) 3,023 miles (4,865 km) (1984)

The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road (reporting mark MILW), was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986.

The company experienced financial difficulty through the 1970s and 1980s, including bankruptcy in 1977 (though it filed for bankruptcy twice in 1925 and 1935, respectively). In 1980, it abandoned its Pacific Extension, which included track in the states of Montana, Idaho, and Washington. The remaining system was merged into the Soo Line Railroad (reporting mark SOO), a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Kansas City (reporting mark CPKC), on January 1, 1986. Much of its historical trackage remains in use by other railroads. The company brand is commemorated by buildings like the historic Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis and preserved locomotives such as Milwaukee Road 261 which operates excursion trains.