March 7th, 1981, I hopped into my pickup truck and headed off on a days outing.
The plan was to attend a model railroad and railroadiana swap meet in Portland,
Oregon. I was accompanied by my friend Allen Miller. We enjoyed a
good day at the meet, acquiring some interesting items.
Coming and going included a few photo stops, plus exploring around the Portland
vicinity. Returning homeward, a stop was made at Kalama, Washington, for a visit
with then Burlington Northern operator, (former Milwaukee Road), Ted Pope. Then
it was back onto I-5, northward to explore some Milwaukee Road remnants.
It was a stop at Maytown, Washington, where we apparently defied history. Both
of us were wandering along the ex-MILW tracks, seeking date nails. At the
west end of the siding, near the switch for their Grays Harbor Line, we found a
very few of seeming interest, and proceeded to secure them.
The nail at right in the two photos below was one:
There it is- A 1951 Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad date nail!
Found with a witness, one quite well known former MILW employee.
(There were NO other tracks in Maytown excepting Milwaukee Road.)
FYI- Circa ten years later, I was shown another exact same nail. It was in the
collection of a friend. (He was well known around Puget Sound, a railfan and model
railroader, resident of West Seattle.) He had found his example in that very same
vicinity as mine and during roughly the same time frame! I'd no idea he even had
his nail, until that day! Unfortunately, he is now gone, and his collection long
before his passing had been scattered. I have no idea about the fate of his 1951 nail.
So, anyhow- I don't give d--- whether or not you like it. Green with envy? Jealous?
Call me a liar, but you are only lying to yourselves. Learn from world history,
which is replete with proven examples which were supposed to not exist. You
should have learned many such instances, way back during your grade school years.
So, to you self-anointed "experts" I'll pass along this little bit of wisdom:
NEVER SAY 'NEVER!' You open the door wide to making yourself a fool!
Happy Whining!
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