[milwaukee-electric] Re: Devil's Teapot photo update

[Don L. Leistikow]

Ken and list:   Back in WW 1 days, TMER&L fielded some really odd
looking work rolling stock.                                     

Historically, they obtained some standard (of the day) flat cars, which
were converted and revised as time wore on.  Obviously, they added a
round end to the square end sill, for the purpose of making these cars
able to acutally train (with flats) through the streets of Milwaukee.
Remember that the Cold Spring Shops was built in 1913 as, KK was no
longer able to keep up with street railway expansion.                                                

KK had been the original heavy duty shop up to that time.  Whereas CSS
was only  connected to the street railway lines and to the CM&StP
railway, the ability to negotiate the system required that all cars be
able go around the 90* corners.            

To view how this was done, find the TMER&L  E 58 flat car which was at
East Troy and is now at IRM, if my information is correct.  Looking
underneath the car ends, you will see how TM applied the round ends and
coupler mountings.  Then again, someone may have photos of this car
laying on its back at East Troy's Phantom Woods yard.   If so, please
post same.                                                       

Now, the photo of a work car at the Devil's Tea Pot, may well have been
one of these RR flat cars that had been motorized with a small cab on
each end.  A careful look at this car impresses me as on of those early
and cheap conversions.  The original square end with poling sockets
seems to be in that photo.  That car would have been an early D series
work motor.                                              

If anyone has a sharp photo image, please enlarge to see if I'm correct
in my conclusion.                                                                                                      

Don