Milwaukee Road class F7
The class F7 of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) included six streamlined fairing and steam type locomotives Hudson 2'C2 '. The machine designated as type Baltic in contrast to the New York Central Railroad in the Milwaukee Road in 1937 and built in 1938 to carry the Hiawatha express trains. Building on the success of the Atlantic Class A, allowed the class F7 to pull even heavier trains on the popular route of the Twin Cities Hiawatha between Chicago and the metropolitan area of Minneapolis -Saint Paul. Compared to the A-Class was a return to coal combustion, for the extra a new coal handling plant was built in New Lisbon railway station that enabled a coaling station during a scheduled maintenance in two minutes.
In recognition of his excellent streamline design, which with the distinctive " Beavertail " also included the ripped light Bauwagen final car, was the first F7 Locomotive No. 100 on the cylinder lining a plaque with the inscription "Speed Lined by Otto Kuhler " and the facsimile of his signature.
The F7 can claim to be among the world's fastest ever built steam locomotives. They reached during everyday operation over 160 km / h When driving during a heavy snow storm in January 1941 a reporter from the railway magazine Trains speed of 177 km / h (110 mph ) recorded on twice. Baron Gérard Vuillet, a French railway expert, recorded a top speed of 201 km / h ( 125 mph ) and a distance of 7.2 kilometers on average 190 km / h on a ride from Chicago to Milwaukee. Arnold Haas tells of his journey to the Afternoon Hiawatha from Chicago to Milwaukee in July 1946, where an F7 should be locally driven up to 205 km / h.
As the official world speed record for steam locomotives shall apply until today in 1938 reached the LNER A4 4468 with 202.58 km / h in 1938.
Compared to the average speeds that are reached between two stations, the F7, however, are the world's fastest steam locomotives. 1939, shortly after the commissioning of locomotives, the road map for the Twin Cities Hiawatha was modified on the 126 km stretch between Portage and Sparta in Wisconsin that the road could be traveled at an average speed of 130 km / h in 58 minutes.
The first genome- pating operating locomotive with the number 100 was retired and on November 10, 1949 first. The most recently built locomotive 105 was taken as it as a last copy of the series on August 10, 1951 from inventory. All locomotives were scrapped.