Re: Milwaukee Road Lines West -- 40 Years Gone...
Author: trackwalker
Date: 03-13-2020 - 20:22
Last memories of the Milwaukee was riding out of Cedar Falls with some MOW hand, I was laid up with a broken leg at Weyerhaeuer and on light duty. We rode up to just below (track west) the Hanson Creek Trestle and waited all day on a setoff while they were yarding above the rails. If a train went by, I was to radio the shovel and he would stop all yarding while the train went by. Conversely, if a log got away from the crew and came down to the rails, the MOW hand could stop any trains. We carried a chain saw with fuel and chain oil along with some wedges and an ax. One Weyerhaeuser radio and one Milwaukee radio.
I spent two weeks doing that until we were clear of the tracks. On day two, I packed several books because there were no trains and the probability of any trains was minimal. I read, the MOW hand slept and we spent two boring weeks doing nothing but slapping mosquitoes and killing deer flies. Nothing happened. This occurred the summer of 1978. If only I had known or had interest......