I know several ex - Lines West engineers. They were able to hire on with BN, but with the recession of the early 1980's taking hold, they both spent many years working the extra board. Recall that this recession ( and the BN purchase of new GP-39-2's ) spelled the end of the BN F-Unit fleet.
I have track - cracked many a mile of Lines West, and have several excellent books on the subject, with Hyde's being the best. (It was also the first of the all - color, horizontal format subject books that are so prevalent nowadays. ) Milwaukee Road Lines West was blessed with many spectacular scenic locations, as well as the longest Electrified Trackage, AND the shortest rail route from Twin Cities to Puget Sound, in the United States. Alas, none of this could make up for being the 3rd or 4th railroad to call on a prospective customer. Still, the Lines West employees NEVER gave up, unlike the top management in Milwaukee did...
Perhaps many railfans still like the Milwaukee Road for the same reasons they still like vinyl records, or a Boeing 707, or a 1969 El Camino, or PBR beer. It's the Memories...