Section Gangs

Section Gangs (HMUOL)

Location: Cottonwood Falls, ID 66845 Shoshone County
Buy Idaho State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 47° 21.347', W 115° 38.582'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 514 views
Inscription
Patrolling for problems on the track was the job of the section foreman and his "section gang" of 2 to 7 hardy laborers.

In the early 1900s the Milwaukee Road's mainline was divided into 5.5 to 9.5 mile-long sections. A "gang" was assigned to each section for the inspection, safety and upkeep of the track, bridges and culverts. The foreman would walk over his assigned section every other day or once a week, depending on the weather.

The gang's work was hard and ongoing. It included: clearing ditches, cutting weeds and grass along the right-of-way, keeping ties and rails secured, the track in line, fixing fences and signs, filling water stations and barrels, and clearing snow from switches.

Larger "floating gangs", often working out of special work trains, handled major projects like ballasting, installation of new rails, and construction projects.

Keeping the electricity flowing was the job of special crews dispatched to problem areas in "troubleshooter" gas-electric rail-cars, and later, road-rail trucks.

(sidebar)
In 1949, the Milwaukee Road created a 10-truck fleet of road-railer repair rigs for their electric trolley crews, replacing three old "troubleshooter" trolleys. These handsome trucks with their hydraulic ladders helped keep the power flowing along the electrified mainline.
Details
HM NumberHMUOL
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 25th, 2014 at 4:07am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)11T E 602476 N 5245594
Decimal Degrees47.35578333, -115.64303333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 47° 21.347', W 115° 38.582'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds47° 21' 20.82" N, 115° 38' 34.92" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)620
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 401 NF-300, Cottonwood Falls ID 66845, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?