The Milwaukee Road in Idaho: A Guide to Sites and Locations [Paperback]

Stanley W. Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

The Guidebook offers loads of useful and interesting detail for railroad buffs, bikers, hikers, and amateur historians. It is jammed with details enough to help anyone learn more about, locate and visit literally hundreds of interesting sites and locations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Having traversed the route of the Hiawatha trail many times over the last 15 years, I have eagerly awaited the publication of this book. It is well worth the wait. Stan Johnson's book does everything a good guidebook should. It tells you where the Milwaukee Road is in Idaho, how to get to it and what you will see when you arrive. Stan knows his readers. He provides the level of detail and related stories that will interest the casual hiker as well as the dedicated railroad enthusiast. The selection of photographs is a balanced blend of historic and modern views and the maps are clear, easy to follow and well coordinated with the text. Would I give Stan Johnson's book a ringing endorsement? No, I would give it a loud clanging endorsement with the bell from one of the Milwaukee Road's Westinghouse electric locomotives! Don't go there without it." Cort Sims, Forest Archaeologist, Idaho Panhandle National Forests -- Cort Sims, Forest Archaeologist, Idaho Panhandle National Forests

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Viewed from any perspective--engineering, scenic, historical, or pure railroading excitement--the Main Line of the Milwaukee, almost exactly 100 miles of mountain-traversing Idaho right-of-way, is remarkable. The route encompasses 20 tunnels, nearly a dozen high steel-bented trestles, and a lake-spanning pile trestle over a half-mile in length. The right-of-way is carved out of rock cliff and forested mountainside and follows for miles the route of one of America's designated Wild and Scenic Rivers. Numerous observers have cited this stretch as the most beautiful stretch of railroad scenery in America. At the time of construction it was the most expensive segment of railroad construction ever known. It contained the largest segment of the Milwaukee's precedent-shattering electrified line and carried on its heavy high rails, laid on a comfort- and safety-oriented smooth railbed, one of the finest premier streamlined luxury trains in America, the Olympian and eventually the Olympian Hiawatha. Hikers and bicyclers (and in some areas horseback riders and those in automobiles) can follow the roadbed, not only in Idaho but eastward into Montana.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Museum of North Idaho Publications (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964364751
• ISBN-13: 978-0964364752
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,778,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)