Nostalgia & History > Section Workers Kansas Memory

Wikipedia has an interesting webpage on Gandy Dancer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandy_dancer

On the Kansas Memory Website there are some terrific photos of Section Workers.

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/210433

Picture 1, “A photograph showing a group of Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway section workers in either Barber or Pratt County, Kansas. Date: Between 1890 and 1900.”

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Picture 2, “This black and white photograph shows section workers with their shovels, picks and hammers at an unknown location on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company line. Date: 1900 and 1909.”

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Picture 3, “View of a group of Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad section workers, possibly in Missouri. Date: Between 1890 and 1900.”

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Picture 4, “Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad section crew consisting of Mexican American workers. Date: Between 1925 and 1935.”

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Picture 5, “This photograph shows a section crew from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company working in either Pratt or Barber County, Kansas. Railroad freight cars and a hand car are visible in the photograph. Creator: Bibb, James. Date: Between 1905 and 1915.”

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Picture 6, “Members of a section gang, four of whom are using tie pullers, who are replacing railroad ties on a section of track. Date: Between 1900 and 1919.”

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Picture 7, “View, presumed to have been taken in Haskell County, Kansas, of rail workers using horse- and mule-drawn wagons to haul dirt for a railroad bed. Creator: Steele, F. M. (Francis Marion), 1866-1936. Date: Between 1891 and 1912.”

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Picture 8, “A view of railroad construction workers standing on tracks under construction in Haskell County, Kansas. Also visible are two horse- or mule-drawn wagons, and piles of the railroad ties used to support the rails. Creator: Steele, F. M. (Francis Marion), 1866-1936. Date: 1912.”

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Picture 9, “View of railroad construction workers laying track across the prairie in Haskell County, Kansas. This railroad, which in 1912 ended at Felt, Oklahoma, was being extended to connect with the Santa Fe railroad lines at Colmer, New Mexico, and was expected to become part of the main transcontinental Santa Fe railroad route. Creator: Steele, F. M. (Francis Marion), 1866-1936. Date: 1912.”

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The following website is an item on F. M. Steele, the photographer.

http://www.oldmeadecounty.com/fm_steele.htm

Picture 10, “Portrait of F. M. [Francis Marion] Steele, an early southwest Kansas photographer. He was born in Stanton, Illinois, on September 14, 1866, and died January 2, 1936, in Dodge City, Kansas. During 1890-1905, he traveled in southwest Kansas, Oklahoma Territory, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado photographing cattle drives, railroads, ranching, and farming operations. Steele documented a time of westward development and expansion. In Kansas, he photographed cattle on the range, round ups, ranches, harvests, settlers, towns, and events in Finney, Clark, Seward, Comanche, and Haskell Counties. Creator: Steele, F. M. (Francis Marion), 1866-1936. Date: 1900.”

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Always a joy to read your posts Flynn. Thanks.

Chris

None of these photos show the use of tie plates under the rails. Anyone know when they started using tie plates?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_fastening_system#History_and_overview

“Tie plates came into use around the year 1900, before which time flanged T rail was spiked directly to the ties.”