Page 15 - All Scale Rails Magazine Issue 4 September October 2015

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Earning a degree in Engine Technology Bill enjoyed doing was his how-to clinics at
from Milwaukee Area Technical College, Trainfest. He’d set up his table, lay out what-
Bill went on to drive the big rigs that he ever it was that he was working on: usually a
loved so much for many years before joining semi-truck model, and answer every question
up with the Wisconsin Department of Trans- posed to him. Until his passing, Bill was in
portation. Working for the WDOT, Bill attendance at every Trainfest.
found that there were opportunities available
to him that others were not privileged to.
Many photos were taken of railroad yards,
bridges and sunsets that could only have been
taken with the aid of a government truck and Bill’s Slide Show Story
flashers.
Remembering his past and the fun and ex-
At one of the “Monday Night Slide Group
citement he’d had in his own father’s rig, Bill
what meets on Tuesdays and sometimes
was all too accommodating when it came to
Wednesdays and Thursdays” meetings, the
taking his siblings, nieces and nephews on group met in the control room of a railroad
short haul road trips to glorious places like swing bridge in Milwaukee, WI. When it
stockyards and glue factories. was decided that the group wanted pizza,
He had many friends, like Russ Porter, they ordered one to be delivered to the swing
that guided him and taught him how to refine bridge. When the pizza place questioned
his photography. Bill was a card holding
why the address was in the middle of the riv-
member (if they would have had cards) of the
er, the group had to explain where they were.
“Monday Night Slide Group what meets on
The pizza would be delivered on the condi-
Tuesdays and sometimes Wednesdays and
tion that the driver was met on shore and not
Thursdays.” Often times after a weekend of
have to cross the bridge.
railfanning, this group would get together to
share slides and photos, but sometimes the
developing of the photos took longer, hence
the ‘Wednesdays or Thursdays.’
Another example of Bill’s desire to share
his photos with others culminated in his cre-
ation of his Flickr (flickr.com) account. Here
he posted thousands of photos, making com-
ments, sharing his knowledge of the subject
matter in the photos. He was so proud when
he could engage others in conversation stem-
ming from the posting of his photos on this
site.
Besides photography, Bill was a talented
modeler and a gifted artist. He fused his love
of trucks and trains by modifying and
Bill Bedell (left) showing photos to an un-
scratch-building semi-trucks in HO scale. In
identified railfan.
recent years, a new portable layout was creat-
ed to assist with his how-to clinics. One thing

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