Milwaukee Road class EP-2

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MILW EP-2
Milwaukee Road class EP-2 'Bipolar'
Type and origin Power type Electric Builder General Electric Serial number 6978–6982 Build date 1919, rebuilt 1953 Total produced 5
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR 1B+D+D+B1 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Length 76 ft 0 in (23.16 m) between coupler pulling faces Axle load 38,500 lb (17,500 kg; 17.5 t) Adhesive weight 457,000 lb (207,000 kg; 207 t) Loco weight 530,000 lb (240,000 kg; 240 t) Electric system/s 3,000 V DC Current pickup(s) Dual pantograph Transmission Twelve 370 hp (276 kW) gearless traction motors mounted directly on the axles Train heating Steam generator
Performance figures Maximum speed 70 mph (113 km/h) Power output 4,440 hp (3,311 kW) Tractive effort 116,000 lbf (516 kN)
Career Operators Milwaukee Road Class EP-2 Numbers 10250–10254; renumbered E1–E5 in March 1939 Locale Northwest United States Retired 1961 Scrapped 1962 Disposition One preserved on static display at the National Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, Missouri; all others scrapped

The Milwaukee Road's class EP-2 comprised five electric locomotives built by General Electric in 1919. They were often known as Bipolars, which referred to the bipolar electric motors they used. Among the most distinctive and powerful electric locomotives of their time, they epitomized the modernization of the Milwaukee Road. They came to symbolize the railroad during their nearly 40 years of use, and remain an enduring image of mainline electrification.