Working On The Railroad - A Story In Stocks

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Author	Replies: 9 / Views: 741
GregAlex Pillar of the Community United States 822 Posts	Posted 06/10/2025 7:41 pm There are thousands of railroad stocks and bonds and most of them feature vignettes of locomotives or trolleys. But just as interesting (to me anyway) are the many vignettes that show railroad workers on the job. Combing through my collection, I discovered there were many more than I realized. So let's take a close-up look at these. We'll start with those depicting the track workers, who did the manual labor of building the rails... Moving rails really did take a crew of men. In North America, a steel rail measures 39 feet (13 yards) and weighs 1500 to 1700 lbs. The heaviest track, on the Pennsylvania RR line, weighed more than 2000 lbs. per rail. There were also the surveyors... Edited by GregAlex 06/10/2025 8:29 pm Report this Post to the Staff

GregAlex Pillar of the Community United States 822 Posts	Posted 06/10/2025 7:55 pm Then there were the railroad workers on the locomotive itself. These included engineers, in charge of the steam engine, firemen, who fed coal or wood into the firebox to keep the steam boiling, and brakemen, who slowed the train on downhill grades and sharp turns. Engineer keeping the wheels greased. Here, the engineer is checking the water level in the boiler, much like using a oil dipstick in your car. No water, no steam, so it was important to keep the tank full. The fireman, stoking the coals. The brakeman on the rear car. And one of my favorite vignettes of workers in a roundhouse moving a locomotive into its stall for maintenance. Edited by GregAlex 06/10/2025 8:34 pm Report this Post to the Staff
GregAlex Pillar of the Community United States 822 Posts	Posted 06/10/2025 8:11 pm And lastly, the station personnel, such as baggage handlers, station agents, and freight loaders. In some small depots these jobs might be done by a single individual. This first vignette, from an insurance agreement, shows men in uniform overseeing freight being loaded on a boxcar -- this may have been from the Civil War era. Note the conductor on the siding, calling the shots. Edited by GregAlex 06/10/2025 8:11 pm Report this Post to the Staff
oriole Pillar of the Community Canada 5238 Posts	Posted 06/10/2025 8:42 pm I wonder how many of these railroads are still in business-or if the track of that railroad still exists. Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 187446 Posts	Posted 06/11/2025 09:46 am Fantastic examples! Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
GregAlex Pillar of the Community United States 822 Posts	Posted 06/11/2025 5:37 pm Quote: I wonder how many of these railroads are still in business-or if the track of that railroad still exists. The companies themselves are long gone, but I'm sure some of the tracks still remain, especially around the major cities. Although the ties and rails would have been replaced by now, if they are still in use. Most of the large rail lines eventually ended up as part of Amtrak or Conrail. Union Pacific is still around. Edited by GregAlex 06/11/2025 5:44 pm Report this Post to the Staff
scopru Pillar of the Community United States 5029 Posts	Posted 10/26/2025 5:01 pm Love the vignettes on these. Report this Post to the Staff
GregAlex Pillar of the Community United States 822 Posts	Posted 02/12/2026 01:04 am I found another nice vignette showing railroad laborers on a bond for the Central of Georgia Rwy. Tonight, as I was studying it closely, I noticed something quite unusual. One of the men is wearing a hat that is distinctly Chinese. Despite being a large part of the workforce, laborers from China were nearly invisible and never show up in vignettes. This is the first time I have seen any acknowledgement of their contributions! Report this Post to the Staff
scopru Pillar of the Community United States 5029 Posts	Posted 02/12/2026 08:32 am Great eye and fantastic catch Greg! Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 187446 Posts	Posted 02/12/2026 09:07 am Very nice! Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
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