Re: Really Strange Steel Souvenirs . . .

I'm wondering why this thread has me thinking about an old "George of the Jungle" episode. ("Steel track, steal track!")

When I was a pre-teen, before they replaced it with the CRI&P line to the East, C&NW was upgrading their main line from Ames to Des Moines (Iowa) ( a former 3' gauge line too) this was in the early-70's, rail being replaced had dates from the 1920's. I, and some of my friends too but I was the most into it, accumulated piles of tie plates & spikes the crews left behind when they were done. (My older brother tossed most of them, like a bunch of my other stuff, after he had moved back in [ca 1989] to the folk's house and Dad had died [1992]) I still have a couple of the spikes though.

Now if they were still there (C&NW abandoned the line about 10-15 years later and sections of it became a totally un-needed road) would it be wrong for me to take them? Was it back in 197(?) ? Should I take back the ones I still have and "salt" the site with them? ( I doubt the people in the sub-divisons that have replaced the cornfields of my youth would appreciate that!)

In short, when does trash become treasure?

Hank