I'm hoping that someone can fill me in on why UP passenger trains serving Chicago via Omaha moved off the C&NW in favor of the MILW in the mid-1950s. Did the C&NW seek to end the partnership or did the MILW entice the UP or was it something else entirely? It certainly required a significant investment by the MILW and at a time when dark clouds were gathering on long distance passenger trains. I have never been able to find an explanation for this change in books or the Internet. Thanks!
There was an explanation of this, years ago, I believe in the MILW historical society (MRHA) publication. But I cannot recall the reason. My memory is saying that the C&NW was not at all unhappy that it happened. And hindsight scholars have opined as to how it was a bad move for the MILW......
Managed to collect some additional input that's really interesting. It seems that the C&NW's track maintenance was in decline and in western IA, single-tracking was even in progress. The UP became frustrated with the C&NW's disregard for passenger schedules, so it sought a partnership with the MILW and its superior mainline. The MILW made investments to further improve its mainline, quietly hoping that it might also gain C&NW's freight from the UP, but this dividend failed to materialize. It was also suggested that the MILW hoped to invite UP interest in buying the road or select segments, but this never came to be either. Following the change in 1955, the C&NW operated its own trains between Chicago and Omaha, but by 1960 all but one to Clinton, IA were gone. As you wrote, the C&NW clearly wanted out of the passenger business.
