gandy dancer

[countershot]

just wonder if i am the only one.

[Anonymous]

You might want to correct the spelling of the subject. What's a gany dancer?

[cacole]

I think the term Gandy Dancer refers to a person, not a machine. Gandy Dancers were the track construction gangs.

[twhite]

Do you mean on my layout, or a real one? I have a plastic dummy on the layout, but if I had a real one, I wouldn't be here typing, I'd be on an illegal run up the old Western Pacific 'Highline'.
Tom [:D]

[trolleyboy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cacole

I think the term Gandy Dancer refers to a person, not a machine. Gandy Dancers were the track construction gangs.

The term was originally ment for the construction gangs but it has been warped to include the hand powered pump cars on the railroads. My great grandfather was a sectionman for the CNR and he always refered to the hand cars as "Gandy Dancer's" or a jigger. Rob

[trolleyboy]

As for the pole.I wouldn't want a powered one on the layout but I do have a couple of Durango press white metal ones and one of their fairmont speeders. They make nice little side details on the layout. Rob

[MisterBeasley]

I was listening to my old Utah Phillips tape (yes, tape) of railroad songs. In one of his song intros (which usually run longer than the songs) he explained that in the old days of using manual labor to build the railroads, the construction and maintenance crews used shovels made by the Gandy Shovel Company. To lift the rails up to add ballast, the crew would stick the business end of the shovel between the tie and the rail, and then use the handle as a lever. For more force, they would actually stand on the end of the handle, balancing or "dancing" while their teammates added ballast.

Some of Utah's tales were fanciful, and some probably at least half-true. Anybody else have a better explanation for where this term came from?

[rogerhensley]

Here are some Gandy Dancers.

My grandfather is among them (third from right).

[simon1966]

I have one of the Bachmann? powered ones. Anyone know how to fit a decoder in it [:D][:D]

[countershot]

I mean the bachmann Gandy dancer(says right on the box)

[camarokid]

I have Arbour Models Gandy Dancer HO Reusable Track Template product that I use entirely too much. Not what your'e looking for is it.
Archie