Thursday, November 6, 2014

War Wagon in the Rain

War Wagon Hitched to Travel (April 2014)
Bus for Workers After the Live Long Day
One of Many From the War Wagon
Fall Colors
Calling in the Workers
Lining Up to End the Day
War Wagon Spread Out
The men have been working on the railroad all the live long day, despite torrents of rain. Elmira, Idaho was once a railroad town where workers lived between the tracks with their families. Many were Italian immigrants.

Today, BNSF hires workers at various hubs with Spokane and Missoula being the closest ones. When the rails need to be repaired or simply maintained, the hubs dispatch the War Wagon. The first photo in today's line up is from April and shows what the War Wagon looks like all hitched up for travel on the rails. Not only does it have the equipment needed, it also trails outhouses.

When the workers come to northern Idaho to work on the tracks, they stay in Sandpoint and bus from there to here. The War wagon stays in Elmira across the road from my house. It's fascinating to watch the equipment and seems how it distracted me on this dark, rainy day, I thought I'd share a look with you.


4 comments:

  1. What an interesting blog post! I'm glad you shared this. And now I can't stop singing that little song.

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  2. Ha, ha! I've been working on the railroad...yeah, stuck in my head, too!

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  3. Thanks Charli. That's very interesting. I haven't heard of or seen the like before.

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    1. Last night we met an Army Veteran who was the superintendent for the gang working across from our house. He's Navajo and it made me think of the irony that he is boss of a war wagon--sounds like an old western story about Cowboys & Indians.

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