Amusing letter addressed to "Traffic Manager, Green Bay & Western Ry, Green Bay, Wis." asks the railroad to have an engineer drink an extra cup of coffee before he began his trip so the farmer would have an extra 15 minutes to drive his cows across the tracks.

The difficulty of getting cows safely across the tracks wasn't limited to only this farmer, as my mother's story of the Tracks Near the Farm recalls a similar problem in New Franken.

Dear Sir,

I got 22 cows what I chase every morning and every night over your railroad tracks here in Northport. Up until two weeks ago everything is fine, no trains is coming in the morning at 8 A.M. when we drive our cows over the crossing.

Then last Thursday comes a little pip squeak of a train with maybe six empty box cars going like a bat of hell he comes just at 8 A.M.

This I think is maybe a special so I hold my cows from crossing. Now day before yesterday comes the same damn train with those 6 empty box cars and I just get my 22 cows over the tracks when he comes barreling through.

What I want to know is who is this guy the railroad presidents son so they give him his own little train to play with or some stupid conductor what forgets to take these box cars along on the regular train.

I would appreciate very much if you would tell this hot shot engineer to kindly take another cup coffee in the morning so he should get here later than 8 A.M. and not maybe make hamburger out of my holsteins. Either that or he should stop at the Northport crossing and look both ways to see if anything is coming what looks like cows. You can tell the people from the cows because the cows got a smarter look.

You got a pretty nice little railroad and I don�t want to make you no trouble so you tell there guys they should send this little train through at maybe noon huh?

Okay and thank you very much, I am Yours Truly,

John Kraske
R. 3
New London, Wis.
(at Northport)