Railroaders' Nostalgia > Bowler Hats, a mark of distinction in the 1900's

Many early railway images show both employees and supervisors (male) wearing round top black bowler hats here in Canada.  This seems especially true on streetcar operations.

Bowler hats were universal among office workers, but many in coveralls wore them too.

Later, they became the mark of a railway supervisor.  In a group shot taken at a roundhouse, the foreman was identified by his bowler hat.

An old friend, long since passed on was one of the last to wear a bowler hat while on duty as a passenger services representative for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

​Whenever a fan trip was operated on the eastern lines of the CPR, he was active in supervising train operations such as photo run bys. During one runpast, the passing train caused his hat to blow off and fall into an adjacent lake.  As luck would have it, there was also a wharf and row boat beside the tracks. The wind had propelled that upturned bowler hat further out into the lake, and my friend made chase in the row boat.  He was also famous for "colourful language".  He retrieved his hat to great applause from the railfans in the photo line. I'm sure someone took pictures of the entire incident. Many of us were too busy laughing!.

Great story! It brought me a smile.

.....still a mark of distinction to this day.

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So true!
Tom Kline
Houston

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Steve Butler continued the bowler hat tradition running San Luis & Rio Grande 18 with fireman Monica at Monte Vista, CO, August 16, 2012.

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cozephyr Wrote:
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> Steve Butler continued the bowler hat tradition
> running San Luis & Rio Grande 18 with fireman
> Monica at Monte Vista, CO, August 16, 2012.

That's not a Bowler Hat. Bowlers are round with no dents.

I always thought the gentleman in the Bowler hat (and suit) here, handing up a message to a crew member was the station agent. What do you all think? Note the crew member in the cab reaching out.

Victor A. Baird
​http://www.erstwhilepublications.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/16 15:20 by wabash2800.

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Most of the former Santa Fe (bnsf) Kansas City West guys wore caps. Few if any, ever wore cowboy hats. But at the crew change in Wellington, KS  it was a whole different story. About half of those guys were from Amarillo, so that explains it.