I started this in 2001. So far, this work might be near completion in Summer, 2007. I let three years pass while busy doing other things, including work. I didn't intend to 'write a book' by assembling stories and pictures from many authors. But often, people have just a story or recollection that's too small to be presented any other way, and might be appropriate to add to my works so it gets recorded and shared.

If I use your information on this CD, the compensation for one or more pictures or historically accurate stories would be one free CD; and the gratitude of the dozen people who want it. No compensation if information is added after the CD is made.

Of course, I have enough material and no one has to add to my cd. But it is more fun when information is shared. You can use your pictures many ways your self. But at least on this cd, a dozen historically minded people will have a record of them. And it doesn't stop you from using your information for other future publications.
Some of the information has been shown in bits and pieces on Yahoo groups messages also. Don't save it all exclusively for me. Spread it around. Keep it remembered.

Much of the Cd is railroad scenes from the 1970's and 80's in the Chippewa Valley area of Wisconsin. This isn't an 'ancient history book', it is 'recent history' less than 40 years old. This will be the complete version of some popular web pages I had shown two years ago, with higher quality pictures than I did then. The railroads primarily covered will be the C&NW to Cornell, the Milwaukee Road in Eau Claire, and the Soo Line Eau Claire branch. These are now abandonned with rails removed, and are public trails now.

A dozen people are interested in this cd and that history. The 'audience' is very small. At least it's a cure for people who ask me, 'do you know about......', and they'll offer to pay for a copy of every thing I've got. But at a dollar a print or duplicate slide, this cd method is more worthwhile. You get lots of pictures, text, and maps explaining what you're seeing.

I consider my work to be a simple historical record of photo collections. Kind of like a catalog of a brief piece of time. (or a reallly long ' slide show ', I even film a snake sunning itself on the rail head.) The scans are good for viewing on the computer monitor, and suitable for small printing. I'll never own enough professional equipment to do multi-mega-byte pictures for real archive work, but this has been more than enough for friends, and a catalog of memories.

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Fortuneately, through Marty La Rue, we now have the story and dramatic pictures of the piling fire of the CNW Chippewa River bridge. Much thanks for the hard work and professionalism of our Firefighters in Chippewa Falls, and thanks to Fire Chief Tom Larson for help in our obtaining this nostalgia.

And so far, we have two pictures of those unusual round-end long GONDOLAS that were used to deliver bags of carbon black to the Uniroyal tire plant in Eau Claire. Some things we didn't take enough pictures of when it was easy.

Note that the theme of all these is they are now ABANDONNED rails in western Wisconsin / Northeastern Minnesota

Soo Line Eau Claire, and though I never filmed a train on it, thanks to Henry K we now have train pictures.

C&NW Chippewa Falls to Cornell, a mile by mile look, plus trains. Bob G has contributed quite a few to this topic.

Milwaukee Road, Eau Claire to Durand

Milwaukee Road, Durand to Menomonie, not much info.

Soo Line, Danbury Sub

Soo Line, Amery area

DW&P, tunnel area abandonment

A few scenes from Soo Line's Moose Lake area, Minnesota

Soo Line, Amery to Almena R-O-W pictures

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