A photograph taken in my town at the Erie RR depot area in 1948 shows a man guarding the railroad crossing by going into the middle of Main Street with a tall metal sign that said STOP. There were no crossing gates. He had a tiny eight-or so sided shack to repair to between trains.
Question: What was the job title for such a person? "Crossing guard" sounds like a school job. Also, did his little hut have a name?
a.)Crossing Attendant/ Crossing Flagman
b.) Crossing shanty
-different places used different slang. These folks were often disabled, finishing out their careers.
When I was about 4 years ago (60+ years ago) I wandered away from home to a RR crosing to watch the trains. The crossing attendent was concerned enough to call the police, and let me sit in the crossing shanty until the police came.
mudchicken a.)Crossing Attendant/ Crossing Flagman b.) Crossing shanty -different places used different slang. These folks were often disabled, finishing out their careers.
It was on what was locally known then as Railroad Ave. RR Ave was the main railroad ROW, that at Kentucky Street, was the East end of the Mississippi River Bridges. Railroads were (then)SL-SF on the Frisco Bridge ( Harahan), and the MoPac Br. ) it was used by MP/SP/and RI ( after their ferry crossing was eliminated).
The 'Watchman' who was employed there was actually an employee of the SL-SF RR. The was officially, THE Watchman for the Harahan Br., and patrolled the length of that structure several times on a shift[especially, after a flamer was brought across the bridge]. He also served to be the Flagman for the multi-tracked crossing. [ Although,he flagged for all the trains through that KY. St crossing]. [During that time particularly, after the Cotton Harvest, the Eastbound Frisco always seemed to bring 'flaming/ or smoking' cotton box cars , so they could be put out by crews from Memphis Fire Dept on the East side of the bridges].
He was also a man that seemed to never lack for 'stories' that would fascinate an 'audience' for periods between trains. These days, in that neighborhood, it is not prudent to 'hang-out' in that area.
Watchman, Flagman, Guard, Gate Operator are just a few of the terms I have heard over the years. The term seemed to vary by railroad and location. I remember crossing watchmen into the early 1980s at a few location, so the terms probably really varied over the 100 years prior.
Gentlemen: Thank you for the responses.
Mudchicken: We (historical society) are going to take your cue and label the photograph "Crossing flagman" because that seems correct and familiar. We also like "crossing shanty." Your comment about employing disabled employees so they could finish out their careers also rings the same bell of familiarity; in fact, other photos of ours of crossing flagmen reinforces this idea. My great-grandfather was injured in a steel mill accident in the 1920's, I think, and afterwards was employed as a gardener on the company doctor's property; in other words, sometimes a way was found.
MidlandMike: Great story! I can just visualize the scene. Plus, even at age 4 the railfan in you triumphs! Not exactly "Christ teaching the Doctors of the Law in Jerusalem," but you get the idea, I hope!
samfp1943: I enjoyed the bridge anecdotes. I'd never before thought of trains full of cotton having a car on fire as they crossed the Mississippi on a bridge! That would sure beat seeing autumn leaves on fire under an Amtrak locomotive truck as the brakes are applied! And you're so right about older men being willing to share their railroad stories with boys. I experienced that, too.
bartman-tn: I'm sure you're right about regional variations in the use of the term.
Thanks, guys. Your responses were interesting and informative.
On the Erie Pascack Valley line, they were called 'watchmen' and if I recall correctly, the elevated versions of the "shanties" were called some version of towers or watchtowers. There were active ones in Hackensack far into my college years; it was interesting to see U34s with Comet 1 trains passing manually-operated gates. I suspect elsewhere on the Erie they would have the same naming conventions, whatever other regions might have used.
I had thought the area of trackage west of Kentucky St. looking toward where the IC crossed at grade (from Central Station just to the north) was called Broad Avenue, not Railroad Avenue -- I was told there actually was a Broad Avenue there but it was gradually 'tracked over' as more railroads built leads going to the bridges. Until recently this was notable for having actual, octagonal red STOP signs on all the east-west lines where they met the IC, and every train would come to a stop and blow twice before crossing at a strict 5mph. This was replaced by some fairly heroic signal-bridge structures and crossovers; perhaps more 'bang for the buck' than any other improvement project I've seen.
Kentucky Street crossing is now closed but is still a fine location to park and watch traffic coming west down the long straight or east around the reverse curves from the bridges. Interestingly enough, the area immediately north has been extensively 'gentrified' with real-estate projects, and I think it is safer now (it is certainly now well-patrolled.)
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Pretty sure around here (eastern PA) the Reading RR called them "crossing watchmen".
Link to photo of PRR "watch box" - that's the name of it on the Standard Plan:
http://www.whippanyrailwaymuseum.net/exhibits/structures/watch-box
Wheeling and Lake Erie Elevated Crossing Watchman's Tower ...
http://www.madrivermuseum.org/gallery/equipment/wle_tower.jpg
- Paul North.
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