R. G. LeTourneau's Overland Trains
  • Home
  • Latest Articles
  • About
  • Buy the Book
  • Facebook Page
Latest Updates
  • Sno-Buggy Testing in Greenland with Aircraft Overhead February 6, 2023
  • How Did the TC-497 Overland Train Steer? February 4, 2023
  • YouTuber Calum Visits the TC-497 in Yuma Proving Ground January 26, 2023
  • Home
  • Latest Articles
  • About
  • Buy the Book
  • Facebook Page
Buy the Book
R. G. LeTourneau's Overland Trains

a complete history

R. G. LeTourneau's Overland Trains
  • Home
  • Latest Articles
  • About
  • Buy the Book
  • Facebook Page
  • Book updates
  • LCC-1-Sno-Train
  • VC-22 Sno-Freighter

Are we Forgetting How to… Everything?

  • November 27, 2021
  • site-admin
Unknown man 1961. Image: Marty Martinez.

I have been working on the finishing the Sno-Train chapter for the last two weeks. This machine has the most complex history out of all of the 6 Overland Trains. In one of the more detailed sections of my book, I am writing about a vehicle recovery journey where the Sno-Train was used as the primary vehicle. This journey took months of travel time, ingenuity, and drive to complete the mission.

During the months long recovery mission, men were exposed to continuous Arctic cold, rain, mucky conditions, and then more cold. They did not have running water or YouTube videos to help them figure out how-to. They had the knowledge, skills, and ability to fail fast and often, then keep on going to accomplish the mission.

My day job has nothing to do with writing or history. When I find my self in a conversation about history at work, it tends to spark my interest a little more. I was talking to a guy on video chat yesterday about publishing options and why I chose Amazon. He was explaining that Amazon would not publish his friend’s book because it was too gory and too long of a book. The book was titled simply and was about the lifecycle of a pig – it was something like “Pig to Table.” The book describes and shows how to go from a living animal to a meal on your plate in graphic detail. How many people living know the right way to raise, kill, butcher, and prepare a pig full cycle? I don’t. The book successfully raised money on Kickstarter and was published.

The conversation with this man led to his own interests in iron works and our inability to figure things out. How many people know how, or have the ability work with iron? How many of us could can effectively farm to feed ourselves or our family? I have interviewed over a dozen people for my book, with the majority between the ages of 75-98. Their stories demonstrate extreme adaptation abilities, humility, and character. How many of us would be willing to get paid Army wages to go out into the mud for months on end without our home comforts, finish the job, and not complain a single day?

We have forgotten how to endure. We have forgotten how to adapt creatively in less than ideal physical conditions. More importantly, we have forgotten how to be good humans. As David Goggins would say, “Go out and do something that sucks everyday.” Let’s see what happens.

SP5 Alfonso Colon-Rivera 1961. Image: Marty Martinez.

site-admin

Previous Article
  • LCC-1-Sno-Train

Sno-Train Passing Over the Gulkana River Bridge

  • November 23, 2021
  • site-admin
View Post
Next Article
  • DEW Line
  • general-history
  • Greenland
  • Nuclear

1968 Thule Air Base B-52 Crash Depicted on “Crocodile”

  • December 2, 2021
  • site-admin
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • LCC-1-Sno-Train

Sno-Train Augmented Reality

  • site-admin
  • January 14, 2023
View Post
  • Book updates

The Gregg County Historical Museum Selling R. G. LeTourneau’s Overland Trains Book

  • site-admin
  • January 11, 2023
View Post
  • VC-22 Sno-Freighter

Sno-Freighter Trailers Used as Decking for House

  • site-admin
  • January 4, 2023
View Post
  • LCC-1-Sno-Train

Yukon Transportation Museum Beta Testing new Virtual Reality Sno-Train

  • site-admin
  • December 29, 2022
View Post
  • Book updates
  • TC-497 Overland Train

Building Strong Relationships Helps Retain our History

  • site-admin
  • December 26, 2022
View Post
  • Book updates

R. G. LeTourneau’s Overland Trains: a complete history Kindle eBook free on Amazon for a Limited Time

  • site-admin
  • December 24, 2022
View Post
  • general-history
  • LCC-1-Sno-Train
  • R.G. LeTourneau
  • research
  • TC-497 Overland Train
  • VC-22 Sno-Freighter

Received LeTourneau NOW Newsletters 1953-1966

  • site-admin
  • December 13, 2022
View Post
  • LCC-1-Sno-Train

Holiday Sno-Train 2022

  • site-admin
  • December 9, 2022
About OverlandTrains.com

OverlandTrains.com is a companion to R. G. LeTourneau’s Overland Trains: a complete history. Now available on Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFL91FX6

Recent Articles
  • Sno-Buggy Testing in Greenland with Aircraft Overhead February 6, 2023
  • How Did the TC-497 Overland Train Steer? February 4, 2023
  • YouTuber Calum Visits the TC-497 in Yuma Proving Ground January 26, 2023
  • R. G. LeTourneau’s Last Remaining Tournalaid Homes Face Demolition January 23, 2023
  • Overland Train TC-497 and Buggy Fan Art January 20, 2023
Topics
  • Alaska Freight Lines (21)
  • Book updates (51)
  • Books-Reading (12)
  • DEW Line (16)
  • general-history (51)
  • Gold Digger (2)
  • Greenland (27)
  • LCC-1-Sno-Train (62)
  • Nuclear (12)
  • R.G. LeTourneau (19)
  • research (32)
  • Side Dump Train (4)
  • TC-264 LeTourneau Sno-Buggy (12)
  • TC-266 Marsh Buggy (7)
  • TC-497 Overland Train (60)
  • Thompson Trailer (1)
  • Tournatrain (8)
  • Uncategorized (2)
  • VC-12 Tournatrain (8)
  • VC-22 Sno-Freighter (30)
  • Yukon (4)
Reach Out
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook Overland Trains page
  • Email
site content by Mark Moore
R. G. LeTourneau's Overland Trains
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook Overland Trains page
  • Email
R. G. LeTourneau's Overland Trains

Input your search keywords and press Enter.