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Gandy dancer is a slang term used for early railroad workers in the United States, more formally referred to as section hands, who laid and maintained railroad tracks in the years before the work was done by machines.
Oct 17, 2023 · Gandy Dancers “Gandy dancers” was a nickname for railroad section gangs in the days before modern mechanized track upkeep. The men were called dancers for their synchronized movements when repairing track under the direction of a lead workman known as the “caller” or “call man.”
Sep 27, 2023 · The term “Gandy Dancer” finds its roots in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when manual labor was the backbone of railroad construction. Legend has it that the term originated from the rhythmic movements performed by these laborers.
Jun 6, 2023 · The gandy dancer term has blossomed into folklore over the years, celebrated in several songs, books, and other mainstream mediums. Despite its near mythical status it described a once very common job on the railroad, hard labor.
Sep 14, 2023 · The song “The Gandy Dancer’s Ball” by Frankie Laine is a classic piece that holds deep meaning for many. It tells the story of the hardworking men who built the railroads in America during the early 20th century.
Jan 22, 2018 · The term “gandy dancers” may have come from the odd gait of the tracklayers, who walked in straight lines like a gaggle of ganders (male geese) as they carried the rails to their last resting place on the ties.
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Jan 7, 2008 · Most of these gandy dancers—the label applied to railway line workers who maintained railroad tracks and kept the rails straight—were African Americans who adapted the work call to railroad work. The term is said to be from the dance-like movements of the spikedriver, plus the name of Chicago-based Gandy Manufacturing Company, who supplied ...
