Butte in Silver Bow County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
The Cow and The Calf
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2024
1. The Cow and The Calf Marker
“Do you know what the last thing that ran on this track was?”
—Kevin Shannon, switchman B.A. & P. Ry., retired.
The Cow and Calf
Engine # 47 and its T-1 booster represent one of the first heavy-duty, direct current electric locomotives built in America. These engines made history representing the importance of electricity, copper and transportation to Industrial America. In 1914, General Electric provided the booster, which could be coupled to a box cab to distribute its power to more wheels for better traction in low-speed service. This engine and booster are affectionately called the Cow and Calf.
The great electric experiment ended in 1967 when the B.A. & P. replaced electric engines with diesel. Retired B.A. & P. Ry. men Leno Bazzanella and Kevin Shannon restored the Cow and Calf to their original state.
“Yeah, they had to be wired so that they could feed the calf with those wires. They were controlled all from one cab and the big unit, they could hook two to four together if they wanted and they'd all be controlled off of one cab. With the cow and the calf it was different, it took electricity to pull it up the hill and with one compressor, it took air to take the train down the hill. You'd take about 37 cars off the hill with the calf-cow-and-a-half, but with the double we could take about 65 off the hill, possibly more, but that's all the room we had to build a train.”
—Leno Bazzanella, engineer, B.A. & Ry., retired.
Erected by Montana's
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.
Location. 46° 1.027′ N, 112° 32.899′ W. Marker is in Butte, Montana, in Silver Bow County. It can be reached from North Excelsior Avenue just south of West Woolman Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is on the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific (BA&P) Hill Trail, about 100 meters east of North Excelsior Avenue, overlooking the historic Anselmo Mine site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 521 North Excelsior Avenue, Butte MT 59701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically outhwest Montana, in Gold West Country, in Mining Country. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are
July 6, 2024
2. Marker detail: Engine # 47
Also see . . . Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway #47 electric boxcab locomotive (Flickr).
(by James St. John) Excerpt: This is an electric boxcab engine on display at the Anselmo Mine in the town of Butte, Montana, USA. It is part of the World Museum of Mining collection in Butte. This locomotive was built in December 1914 by General Electric and was used by the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway to head ore trains from the Anselmo Mine in Butte to the town of Anaconda, Montana.(Submitted on August 16, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2024
3. The Cow and The Calf Marker
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2024
4. The Cow and The Calf Marker
Looking southeast from the BA&P Hill Trail. The historic Anselmo Mine headframe is in the background.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 2024
5. Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway Engine #47 and “the calf”
The electric locomotive is on exhibit at the historic Anselmo Mine site, just south of this historical marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 16, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
