Gandy Dancer

[Anonymous]

Can anyone tell me why the above term is used for to describe a track worker, where did it originate and how did it come about?
Thanks in advance

[sooblue]

Hi,
My dad worked on a section gang in the 30s they had Gandy dancers that worked with them. I didn't know until a few years ago what they actualy were or did even though my dad talked about them some.
A few years back I saw a documentry on them.
The Gandy dancers that I saw were black men who worked as a team with bars to align the track.
They had to work as a team in order to move the rail ( the rail was spiked down and in ballist )
To help them work as a team they had one man who lead and they worked to rythmic chants. They were very efective in thier work and perhaps the name derived because they chanted to song as they worked.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the answer Mike

[Anonymous]

The store I heard on Gandy dancers was that the section tools were made by a company named Gandy. If you have ever watched someone rapidly walk down the track stepping from tie to tie the short strides cause an odd gait that looks a little like dancing.