There are so many to choose from, trainmasters, Erie builts, c-liners... But if I have to pick just one it would be the H15-44.
Mine would be the H16-44. They were the only FMs that Baltimore and Ohio had. The Eries run a close second. I did ride behind SP's Trainmasters many times and saw its yard goats every day. While on the subject of FMs, does anyone have any roof photographs of passenger H15/16-44s? I am trying to figure out where the steam generator vents go.
When I was a kid, I used to see Baby Trainmasters around here. I remember them distinctly because they had the radiator fans at an angle up front like the big Trainmasters and you could see them spinning under the grilles. They must have been automatic because sometimes, some or all would just be freewheeling. The Milwaukee Road never had any of the big one, just the babies. They impressed me, however. Doug
Nice! Beer Line. Pre-"The Milwaukee Road" simplified herald. Pre-cab end numbers. The gateman's tower. Ribside 40' box car. Classic post-WWII era stuff. Date is about 1950, maybe 1951.
Schlitz for one came to a sad end in the 1970s when they changed their formulation and process, ruining the taste of their beer and turning away millions of brand-loyal customers who never returned. I toured the Pabst brewery with my parents at the time and Schlitz' self-inflicted destruction was the talk of Milwaukee.
The current satellite map on google shows that virtually all of the area has been completely redeveloped. Viewing the various aerial photos available on https://www.historicaerials.com/ demonstrates the changes as they occurred over the years. The following map of the Beer Line illustrates the difference between the industries doing business in 1970 and those extant in 2004: https://visualstoryteller.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/milwaukee-beer-line1.pdf
I love the Beer Line photos! Thank you for sharing. As for me personally, I have always had a fondness for the FM Erie Builts. I could not find any A units for a non-astronomical price in N Scale a few years back, so I commissioned a gentleman in Iowa to paint up a couple shells for me. One in Milwaukee Road, and one in Kansas City Southern. Both look great! Now, converting those older Life Like mechanisms to DCC and sound will be a chore. I see some significant frame milling in my future.