The Beaver Tails were a fleet of

streamlined Streamlines, streaklines and pathlines are field lines in a fluid flow. They differ only when the flow changes with time, that is, when the flow is not steady. Considering a velocity vector field in three-dimensional space in the framework of ...

passenger car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

s built by the

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

("the Milwaukee Road") between 1934–1938. They served as the observation cars on the famous ''Hiawatha'' trains from 1935 until 1948, when they were displaced by the new

Skytop Lounge The Skytop Lounges were a fleet of streamlined passenger cars with the parlor-lounge cars built by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("the Milwaukee Road") and sleeper-lounges built by Pullman-Standard in 1948. The cars were de ...

. The cars' name was derived from the distinctive flat, sloped rear of the car.

Design

The Beaver Tails were constructed in three distinct batches, corresponding to the introduction of the ''Hiawatha'' in 1934 and its first two reequippings in 1936 and 1938. In total eight cars were built, all in the Milwaukee Road's own shops. The first generation seated 24 in the rear area, plus separate men's and women's lounges. In the 1936 edition the lounges were replaced by "small toilet rooms"; there was lounge-style seating for 26 plus seating for 12 in the rear (dubbed the "solarium"). The final version (pictured at right), built in 1938, was designed by the renowned

Otto Kuhler Otto August Kuhler (July 31, 1894 – August 5, 1977) was an American designer, one of the best known industrial designers of the American railroads. According to ''Trains'' magazine he streamstyled more locomotives and railroad cars than Cr ...

. While retaining most aspects of the original design, Kuhler added ribbing along the sides and fins in the back. In another innovation Kuhler added an exterior-facing sofa to the solarium portion of the car. Seating capacity increased to 28 in the lounge area and 17 in the solarium. The cars, like the rest of the ''Hiawatha'' equipment set, were painted in orange, maroon, and gray. The name derived from the distinctive flat, sloped rear of the car. The Milwaukee Road coined the name itself and used it in publicity beginning in February 1935, three months before the ''Hiawatha'' debuted.

Service history

The first two Beaver Tail cars, the ''Nokomis'' and ''Wenonah'', entered service on the original ''

Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwathaaa or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some account ...

'' in 1935. On the re-equipping of the ''Hiawatha'' in 1936 they moved to the ''

North Woods Hiawatha The ''North Woods Hiawatha'' was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road") between New Lisbon and Minocqua, Wisconsin. It operated from 1936 until 1956. The ''North Woods Hi ...

'', and then finally to the ''

Chippewa-Hiawatha The ''Chippewa'' consisting of mostly conventional components, and later known as the ''Chippewa-Hiawatha'', with a streamlined consist was a passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road") betw ...

'' in 1938. The Milwaukee Road removed the Beaver Tails in September 1951; the two cars were converted to storage cars the following year. The second two cars, the ''Omeme'' and ''Opeche'', were completed in 1936 and entered service on the ''Hiawatha''. Like the cars they displaced, they were replaced after two years when in 1938 the ''Hiawathas'' were again reequipped. The cars later saw service on the ''

Midwest Hiawatha The ''Midwest Hiawatha'' was a passenger train on the Milwaukee Road, one of many Milwaukee Road trains with a ''Hiawatha'' name. The service began December 11, 1940 between Chicago's Union Station and Omaha, Nebraska, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, ...

'' before being retired in 1952. The third and final batch comprised four cars: the ''Earling'', ''Merrill'', ''Miller'', and ''Mitchell''. The four cars were introduced with a second daily ''Hiawatha'' between Chicago and the Twin Cities, leading to the creation of the ''

Morning Morning is the period from sunrise to noon. There are no exact times for when morning begins (also true of evening and night) because it can vary according to one's lifestyle and the hours of daylight at each time of year. However, morning strict ...

'' and ''

Afternoon Hiawatha The ''Twin Cities Hiawatha'', often just ''Hiawatha'', was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as the Milwaukee Road), and traveled from Chicago to the Twin Cities. The original ...

s''. After the arrival of the

s in 1948 the Beaver Tails saw service on the ''Midwest Hiawatha'' and ''Chippewa-Hiawatha''. All were out of service by 1961.

References

External links

* {{Milwaukee Road named trains Train-related introductions in 1935 Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Rail passenger cars of the United States