Built by General Electric to pull transcontinental passenger trains through the Cascade Mountains, number E-2 is one of five 1+B-D-D-B+1 "gearless bi-polars" which means twelve (12) traction motors are mounted directly on the driving axles thus eliminating the use of gears. Moving d ownhill the motors converted into generators which returned electricity to the distributing system. This is the sole surviving Bi-polar. The E-2 was donated in 1961 by the Milwaukee Road.