MILW Tie Burning

This is an interesting scene. If you'll note, it's 1973. The old fairy tales are they never did any track work, hadn't for decades, and blah, blah. Well, oops. There was major work in 1973... Ties, steel, ballast.

They were burned, as that was cheaper than a work train- Loading them up, to be hauled where? Thirty five years ago, there was no method of disposal. This was the very rural Bitterroot Mountains.

Boxcab E50

 

The EPA would have fined the RR's out of existence, (watch a UP Big Boy Last of the Giants video, and you'll know what I mean) had they been around during the steam era, and even into the 70's....

Interesting, with fire watches in the Bitterroots, that they burned ties--did they not worry about forest fires? Heck, they ran speeders behind trains as fire watches... They must have had some sort of safety plan, to keep from repeating the fires of the early 1900's. (1909-10, IIRC?)

 

Where these were being burned, there's width to the r-o-w. And nothing flammable to catch and spread. I can assure you, with the history of that disastrous 1910 fire, (AFAIR not RR caused), and the National Forest around there, they'd not be careless. Plus, older ties, have lost a lot of their treatment over the years. And those seen don't burn in a blaze, as they were likely carrying some moisture. Some may never have even been treated.

Boxcab E50

 

I recall seeing pics of the Loop Creek area, devoid of all living vegetation, burnt black by intense fires. I recall a story from somewhere about a train crew or passengers of a train that took refuge from the fires in a tunnel.

http://www.milwest.org/archive2%20photos/adair1910.jpg

 

At the time, there was mining, timbering, homesteading, etc, ongoing. What caused the big fire, was unusual winds. There were a bunch of small fires, from all causes. Then a couple of days came, with very high winds. This took everything out of control. Combined many small burns, into larger fires. And away it went. There were not firefighting crews back then, as we know today. And those men in the woods, just were not equipped to do much.

Boxcab E50

 

Thom-

There are some excellent Milw videos out there. However, that Pentrex release is by far the best, in narrative accuracy. There is only about one error per volume.

However, my favorite is some old, crude by today's standards, home movies. Taken, and edited together by a former Milw conductor. The insight into their daily life, their friends, is fascinating. With the Milw as a background. I have watched mine countless times now. For anyone interested in why Lines West was, still is, so fascinating, this is the reason. Where is my time machine. get me outta here! NOW.



Boxcab E50

 

Yes. I wish there was more footage. Would have been excellent, to follow this train on up toward great Falls.

Also, this is where one of the narration errors occurs. It's identified as Train 801. Which it is not. This was taken during 1973. The TDS(Train Designation System), was not changed until December 1, 1974. Thus, we're looking at Train 163. mg:



Boxcab E50