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Railroad workers in the United States
- 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.
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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.
Jun 6, 2023 · The origins of "gandy dancer" are unknown although "gandy" has sometimes thought to have originated from the Gaelic dialect while "dancer" denoted the unified motion workers would use to move rail into place (which led to several famous chants and songs over the years).
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.
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.
1. : a laborer in a railroad section gang. 2. : an itinerant or seasonal laborer. Word History. Etymology. of obscure origin. Note: Claims that gandy refers to a "Gandy Manufacturing Company" or "Gandy Tool Company," a supposed maker of section worker tools, have never been substantiated and are probably specious. First Known Use.
Mar 6, 2024 · The origins of the term “gandy dancer” to refer to a track worker are rather obscure. The term appears to have emerged at the end of the nineteenth century, and it was often used specifically in reference to black track workers.