- Film courtesy of myfootageresearch.com - Film courtesy of Akis Papados
The video on the left gives a first hand look at the process of railroad construction in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Countless men across the country worked tirelessly laying miles of track. In the days before regulated safety policies, accidents on the job were almost a regular occurrence. More than 1,300 workers were killed each year in steam railway accidents between 1890 and 1929, reaching a peak of over 4,500 in 1907, and more than 100,000 workers were injured each year between 1911 and 1926 (3). The economical impact of the transcontinental railroad often overshadows the sacrifices which were made to construct it.
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The video on the right demonstrates the process of modern day track laying where machinery has replaced the manual labor once required. This technology has helped minimize the risk factors associated with railroad labor.
- "Concrete foundation in right foreground was from 'telltale,' a simple post-and-beam frame that spanned the tracks with lengths of rope suspended from the beam. In the days when brakemen were required to be on, and walk along, the tops of freight cars to set brakes, the 'telltale' ropes would strike the unwary to warn of the tunnel ahead, allowing them to lie flat and avoid being struck by the tunnel portal". - Central Pacific Transcontinental Railroad, Tunnel No. 23, Milepost 132.69, Applegate, Placer County, CA
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
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- Brakemen in the locker room of Union Station in Chicago.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
The job of a railroad brakemen was among one of the most dangerous occupations of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Before advanced air brakes existed, a train's braking system was at the hands of one or more men. The brakeman turned a wheel that tightened a brake pad, usually made of wood with a leather face, against the wheel (1). Brakemen often were required to move from the tops of train cars in order to reach each braking mechanism. In many instances, these men were subject to falling, colliding with bridges, and being crushed to death by the train cars. As of 1881, it was estimated ten brakemen were killed on railroads everyday and the average life of a brakemen was ten years past the start of their job (5). The daily risk of one's life began to motivate action for safer conditions and fair pay.