Austin, Minnesota, is well known as the home of Milwaukee Road 4-6-0 1004 and some other Milwaukee Road equipment and artifacts. Not as well known are a couple relics "preserved" by pure chance up at the former Chicago Great Western/Milwaukee Road crossing in town.

I just did a blog post about these items complete with pictures. It can be viewed at:

http://www.bubblews.com/news/2978859-railway-relics-in-austin-minnesota

There are plenty of "ghost" relics along the North Shore Line. I wonder how long it will be before someone finds this signal and decides to pick it up...

That is interesting re: the North Shore Line. I'd prefer to see the likes of those and this old CGW remain forever to mark the passage of the railroads in question.

I live next to the abandon IG&N (Missouri Pacific) in Rendon, Texas which is just south of Fort Worth. A wooden signal pole with crossbuck has survived upright since the 1966 abandonment. The local ranchers have ties for corner fencing that I confirmed were salvaged in 1967. There is also a small bridge tressel that has survived. I should get out and get pictures. hocarsandtrains. James

Pretty sure that is not a telephone box, but a signal relay cabinet. There is a resistance unit in the bottom used for adjusting the voltage of a track circuit. Still a neat find though. Back when I had something called "free time", I explored the relics of the signal system on the Reading's Newtown Branch.

Here in Tacoma, WA there is a ghost of a Milwaukee RR "tell tale" along the Puyallup river. The bridge it protected is long gone, as at the knotted ropes. All that's left are two poles and a piece of cable connecting them. I keep expecting to find it has fallen over, but the last time I checked it was still there.

Many thanks for the clarification. I went and tweaked my post to include the correct information.