Louis,
I have a friend and fellow model railroader (Jim McCroskie) whose
first job out of the high school was working the sprayer on the
weed trains. He's talked about about being in a T shirt and jeans
and having all of the weed spray sometimes just cover you as you
would work down the track. That happened all summer working those
sprayer trains. He then became a Q clerk and retired as BN special
agent. He's amazed to this day that he has not had any health
problems that could be attributed to the weed spraying work.
Bill Hirt
January 27, 2017
Rupert/Hol - This is what I remember, too, on Lines East. I
still remember the "stink" of the chemical all these years
later.... Today, the EPA would never tolerate such an
operation. Think about how the chemical spray cloud could
drift off the ROW if the wind picked-up. Chemical exposure to
employees as described with the spray nozzle operator being
"coated" would also be a huge concern in the present era. But,
a weed spray train was certainly a part of everyday
railroading 60 plus-years ago. Times were very different
then.... Best Regards - Louis
Louis Zadnichek II
Fairhope, AL