AGAWAM SOUTHERN RAILWAY

Agawam Southern Railway is a model railway depecting not only the Milwaukee Road Northern Montana Division of the late 1970's, but also a fantasy model railway depecting the Northern Montana Division being sold off to the Agawam Southern Railway which operates today as a bridge carrier. 

This line is based off of two railroads. The Milwaukee Road. Specifically the Northern Montana Sub from Harowton to Agawam, Montana. Operational aspects are loosely based on the Montana Rail Link in southern Montana. Hence the Harlowton Rebuild Center taken after MRL's Livingston Rebuild Center in Livingston, MT. 

In this freelance scenario, the Milwaukee Road never merged with Soo Line. It came out of the 1977 bankruptcy leaner and stronger than ever becoming the leading inter modal and auto carrier between Seattle and Chicago. The Milwaukee electrification also survived to see the modern era. The electrification has proven to be a true asset to the Modern Milwaukee. While other carriers are at the mercy of fuel prices, the Milwaukee Road has clean energy from the hydroelectric powered Mainline. America's Resourceful Railroad is now also America's GREENEST Railroad. 

In a move in 1970 Burlington Northern merger proceedings, the Milwaukee Road was awarded the Northern Pacific's mainline assets through Montana, Idaho, and Washington as part of an anti-trust settlement. This greatly simplified rail movements as the Milwaukee now operates the former NP lines as an east bound main and its original main handles the west bound traffic. Today, both lines are electrified and see both modern electric power movements and modern diesel power. A true railfan's delight. 

The continued electrified operations of the Milwaukee Road, now extended from Seattle to Chicago, with the looming peak oil issue on the near horizon has given the line a competitive edge over it's rivals. 

As part of the 1977 bankruptcy the Milwaukee filed to abandon their Northern Montana Sub. Through 3 years of negotiations, the Agawam Southern Railway was formed with the Milwaukee Road owning a controlling interest in the newly formed bridge carrier. The end of the line in Agawam was extened to join the BN/BNSF mainline west of Shelby, MT in 1985. Agawam Southern has handled an ever increasing amount of interchange and bridge traffic for both the BN/BNSF and it's parent company, the Milwaukee Road. 

The Harlowton Rebuild Center (HRCX) specialized in not only diesel rebuilds, but has also become America's #1 leader in diesel to electric conversions. It's number one customer is of course the Modern Milwaukee.