Railways first transported grain in boxcars. Laborers emptied the boxcars by scooping grain with “power shovels,” large flat boards with handles. They had to manually move the bulk grain out of the boxcar from the side, assisted by a cable and board. The process had to be repeated until all the grain was swept out. As boxcars typically held 2,000 bushels of grain, the process could take a two-man team a considerable amount of time.
Gelatin dry plate negative. L 20.5, W 26 cm
Steamtown National Historic Site, STEA 7469.
C4206