Track Worker Mannequins

1995

In the early 1870s, U.S. railroad construction increased dramatically. The country went from approximately 45,000 miles of track to 170,000 miles between 1871 and 1900. Train safety depended on thousands of track workers, including inspectors, track-construction gangs, and bridge builders. These Maintenance of Way crews kept the tracks and rights-of-way in working order. The labor force of these crews changed over time: from Irish and Chinese immigrants in the 19th century, to Eastern Europeans in the 20th century, to African Americans and the bracero railroad program in the 1940s.

National Park Service photograph

Track Worker Mannequins

1995

National Park Service photograph