Sam Richards Wrote:
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> I met Mr. Steinheimer at a Milwaukee Road
> railfans' convention in 1974 (or 1975?) in Deer
> Lodge, Montana

Sam - I was also at that (August?) 1974 convention and it was the only time I was able to meet Dick Steinheimer. He was a most enthusiastic fan of the MILW electrification. It was kind of sad, seeing as how it was only about 6 weeks or so since the final runs of the electrics on June 15-16, 1974.

The final joe powered westbound freight from Harlowtown to Deer Lodge had derailed just east of Deer Lodge. Some sections of the overhead catenary were torn down and, of course, not repaired. Dick & I hiked out there to the derailment site to see if there might be any "treasurers" laying around. We found a few 3 ft sections of the copper trolley wire along the track and we gleefully divided this find between ourselves.

Dick's work influenced many and will continue to do so.

Bruce Butler
Spokane WA