Lost Railroad Americana

[Ocklawaha]

I feel so blessed to have visited and worked at sites where I witnessed this incredible task exactly as it is recorded on this short film. They could have titled this 'When Men Were Machines.'

THE SETTING:

The Clinchfield Railroad was a transportation shortcut between the southeast and the midwest.  South & Western Railroad incorporated in 1905, renamed Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio in 1908. Leased jointly by Atlantic Coast Line and Louisville & Nashville in 1924, who named the operating organization, an unincorporated entity, the Clinchfield Railroad Company. Creation of Seaboard System Railroad on December 29, 1982, rendered the separate Clinchfield entity unnecessary. Today the former Clinchfield is a part of Jacksonville's CSX.

THE FILM:

1973 16mm film by Jack Schrader and Tom Burton that features field recordings of work chants of Gandy Dancers including aligning songs and chants to knock out slack in the rail.  Shot with a 16mm Bolex camera without sync sound, the visuasl shows men working with cross ties, aligning the track, and spiking.  The film focuses on the changes brought about by mechanization of railroad building. The film is part of the Burton Schrader collection in East Tennessee State University, 
Archives of Appalachia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r_cI3kYYhM

http://www.youtube.com/v/3r_cI3kYYhM?version=3&hl=en_US

[Dog Walker]

Ock,  Some years ago we went to a Florida Folklore Festival.  It might have been in Live Oak.  They had laid about a sixty foot section of track on ties and a bunch of old black men with Gandy poles showed us what they could do together.  The work chants and stories that those old guys told were fascinating and I have always regretted not taping it because I am sure most of those old guys are gone now.

They could walk those thousands of pounds of track and ties around into any shape they wanted.

[acme54321]

Really cool.  We just got back from Savannah and the Ga State RR Museum today.  Really cool buildings and museum they are putting together up there.  Never thought I would ride on a turntable, until today.

It's amazing how much track was put down by hand at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.  That is a great feat those men accomplished.  At the same time I love watching modern track laying equipment go at it.

Ock, here is a random question:  A few weeks ago I spotted a Union Pacific locomotive pulling a train with 2 CSX locomotives along Roosevelt.  What's up with that.  I did a doubletake as I was passing by and saw the UP paint scheme.

[Lunican]

Here is a good video from the UP showing how it is done today.

http://www.youtube.com/v/haV6ryQCaTo?version=3&hl=en_US