Section Gangs

Section Gangs. . , 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.