[USA] Milwaukee Road EF1 [WIP][BETA]

Milwaukee Road Electric Locomotives — EF-1, EF-2 & EF-5 [WIP / BETA]

⚠️ Incompatible with Real Track Cant. See Compatibility section for details.

Bring the iconic electric locomotives of the Milwaukee Road to Transport Fever 3!

This mod recreates the distinctive boxcab electric locomotives that operated on the Milwaukee Road's electrified main lines between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest.

Originally introduced in 1915, these locomotives became an essential part of Milwaukee Road's freight operations. Built around a modular design, individual sections could be combined into increasingly powerful locomotives to handle the demanding mountain grades of the Pacific Extension.

The mod is currently in WIP / BETA. The available locomotives are the EF-1, EF-2 and EF-5, with several liveries, configurations and randomized details.

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Historical Background

Between 1914 and 1920, the Milwaukee Road developed an extensive electrification system covering approximately 650 route miles, supplied by 3,000 V DC overhead catenary.

The system consisted of two separate electrified sections:

• Rocky Mountain Division: Approximately 438 miles between Harlowton, Montana, and Avery, Idaho.

• Coast Division: Approximately 208 miles between Othello and Tacoma/Seattle, Washington.

The two sections were never connected by overhead electrification, leaving a gap between Avery and Othello.

The first electric freight operation took place on November 30, 1915. The original boxcab locomotives were mechanically built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), with electrical equipment supplied by General Electric.

Initially, the locomotives operated as two-section units. As freight traffic increased, Milwaukee Road began combining individual sections into longer and more powerful locomotives, eventually producing the EF-2, EF-3 and EF-5 configurations.

The fleet remained in service for decades, with the remaining electric operations finally coming to an end in June 1974.

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Included Locomotives

EF-1 — Original Two-Section Boxcabs

Introduced in 1915–1916, the EF-1 was the original freight version of Milwaukee Road's boxcab electrics.

The fleet originally consisted of 30 EF-1 pairs, numbered 10200–10229. Another 12 passenger EP-1 pairs were also built, but were converted to freight EF-1s in 1919.

The locomotives featured an articulated two-section design, with each half-unit carrying its own traction equipment and cab.

This mod represents the locomotives in their later-service configuration, from 1950 onwards, rather than their original 1915 appearance.

Specification	Value
Continuous Power	2,491 kW (3,340 hp)
Tractive Effort	458 kN
Top Speed	72.4 km/h (45 mph)
Weight	255.8 tonnes
Prototype Length	34.1 m
In-game Availability	1950–1974

EF-2 — Three-Section Boxcabs

Developed during the 1930s, the EF-2 was created by combining three standard boxcab sections into a single locomotive.

Twelve original EF-2 consists were numbered 10500–10511, with A, C and B sections. The additional section provided considerably more power and tractive effort, making these locomotives better suited to increasingly heavy freight trains.

Specification	Value
Continuous Power	3,736 kW (5,010 hp)
Tractive Effort	687 kN
Top Speed	72.4 km/h (45 mph)
Weight	383.3 tonnes
Prototype Length	51.2 m
In-game Availability	1950–1974

EF-5 — Four-Section Boxcabs

Introduced in 1951, the EF-5 represented the largest development of the original Milwaukee Road boxcab design.

Built by combining four individual sections, these locomotives provided considerably more power for heavy freight operations. Five were initially assembled in 1951, with the fleet eventually reaching ten locomotives by 1961.

Unlike the EF-2, EF-5 consists could incorporate shortened intermediate sections known as bobtails, allowing different combinations of standard and shortened units.

Specification	Value
Continuous Power	4,981 kW (6,680 hp)
Tractive Effort	915 kN
Top Speed	72.4 km/h (45 mph)
Weight	511.7 tonnes
Prototype Length	68.3 m
In-game Availability	1950–1974

Note: All performance figures above represent the current in-game configurations. Prototype lengths are included for historical reference.

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Upcoming Variants

Additional historical versions and configurations are planned for future updates, covering different stages of the Milwaukee Road electric fleet's development.

The planned variants include:

• EF-1 (1915)

• EP-1 (1915)

• EF-2 (1925)

• EF-3 (1930)

• EF-1 (1939)

• EF-2 (1939)

• EF-3 (1939)

• EF-1 (1948)

• EF-3 (1950)

• ES-3 (1950)

• EP-1A (1953)

These additions will bring more historical variety to the mod, representing the locomotives in their original and later configurations throughout their service lives.

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Liveries & Configurations

Three paint options are currently available:

• Orange & Black — Milwaukee Road's distinctive orange and black scheme.

• Orange & Maroon — An alternative historical color combination.

Additional historical liveries are planned for future variants:

• Original Black (1915) — The original black paint scheme worn by the early Milwaukee Road electric locomotives.

• Random Colors — Allows randomized paint scheme selection.

• Union Pacific Armour Yellow (EP-1A) — The distinctive Armour Yellow scheme used on the EP-1A passenger locomotives.

The EF-2 and EF-5 feature randomized paint scheme selection between individual sections, recreating the mixed-color consists that could be encountered in real Milwaukee Road operations. The system also accommodates EF-3 configurations, although the EF-3 itself is not included in the current BETA release.

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Features

Extensive Randomization System

One of the main features of this mod is its extensive randomization system, designed to reproduce the visual diversity of the original Milwaukee Road fleet.

• Historical road numbers: Almost every E-series road number is represented, based on historical records.

• Random unit lettering: A/B/C/D suffixes are randomly assigned where applicable, allowing different combinations of individual locomotive sections.

• Multiple number styles: Different fonts and number placements are supported.

• Class light variations: Different class-light configurations are randomly selected.

• Window variations: Multiple window configurations are available.

• Pantograph variations: Both the original 1915 and later 1946 pantograph designs are represented.

• Randomized details: Additional variations in locomotive components provide further visual diversity.

• Mixed paint schemes: Individual sections can receive different paint schemes where applicable.

Combining the available road numbers, lettering, class lights, window configurations, paint schemes and unit variations results in more than 1,800 possible combinations across the 1950–1974 locomotives alone!

Reworked 3D Models

Almost every aspect of the original models has been revisited and rebuilt.

• Completely reworked locomotive bodies and exterior details.

• New bogies and wheel models.

• Dedicated interior and cab models.

• Detailed traction motor models.

• Reworked pantographs and other mechanical components.

• Improved geometry and significantly reduced polygon counts.

Important: LODs (Levels of Detail) have not been implemented yet. Despite the significant reduction in polygon count, the models are still relatively demanding. Expect major optimization and performance issues, especially when using multiple locomotives or viewing them from a distance.

Improved Textures

Textures have been extensively reworked to better match the real locomotives.

This includes improved body textures, more accurate colors, and additional material details. Some textures are still unfinished, including the E75B textures shown in the current preview.

Reworked Sounds

The sound configuration has also been completely reworked.

The locomotives feature dedicated sounds with proper idle audio and speed-responsive sound transitions, providing a more natural representation of their operation.

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WIP / BETA Notice

This mod is currently in an early BETA stage and is still under active development.

LODs have not been implemented yet. Expect significant performance issues and potentially high GPU/CPU usage. Optimization is still a work in progress.

Only the EF-1, EF-2 and EF-5 are currently included. The additional historical variants listed in the Upcoming Variants section, including the original EF-1 and EP-1, EF-3, ES-3 and EP-1A configurations, are planned for future updates.

Models, textures, sounds and other features may still be incomplete or subject to changes in future updates.

Expect bugs, unfinished details and potential performance or visual issues.

Feedback, bug reports and suggestions are welcome!

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Compatibility Notice

Incompatible with Real Track Cant.

Using this mod alongside Real Track Cant may cause various randomly generated locomotive components to disappear, including locomotive bodies, pantographs, windows, road numbers and other randomized details.

This is caused by a compatibility issue between the two mods. If you experience missing locomotive parts or visual inconsistencies, make sure Real Track Cant is disabled.

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About This Mod

This project is a complete remaster of my original Milwaukee Road Electric Locomotives mod for Transport Fever 2.

Rather than simply porting the original models to Transport Fever 3, I decided to revisit practically the entire project, rebuilding the locomotives from the ground up.

The remaster features extensively redesigned 3D models, new interiors and traction motors, improved textures, optimized geometry, completely reworked sounds and a much more extensive randomization system.

A considerable amount of research has also gone into the historical road numbers and individual locomotive configurations, making this a much more detailed and historically accurate recreation than the original Transport Fever 2 version.