OldTools Archive
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52484 | John.S.North@V... (John S. North) | 1998‑10‑30 | Obligatory Bio |
This is way overdue and is submitted as a compliance measure. If I liked the idea I suppose I'd have done it long ago. When I was seven I was given the choice of taking either piano or woodworking lessons. A real no-brainer even for a kid. To make a couple of extra bucks during the depression an old guy in my hometown set up a woodworking classroom in his basement where he taught the basics of using handtools. I got off to a great start, but blew it by not following up until recently. Between then and now I worked a variety of jobs: the black gang in the Merchant Marine; gandy dancing in Alaska; the Navy in which I actually did see a lot of the world; worked construction in New England; taught at a Mid-Western university; worked on an oil refinery, a railroad in New Jersey, a national food company and a big communications outfit, among others. These jobs paid OK, but they didn't do much for building woodworking skills; and between work and raising a family there wasn't much time left over. Retired now, living in the country, raising a few critters, growing apples, hay and trees, which fortunately grow without much help from me, I can spend some time on fun stuff. I'm looking to fill some empty slots in my tool chest, and a whole lot of gaps in my woodworking skills. |
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52493 | NLutz10449@a... | 1998‑10‑30 | Re: Obligatory Bio |
In a message dated 98-10-30 09:02:12 EST, John.S.North@V... writes: << Between then and now I worked a variety of jobs: the black gang in the Merchant Marine; gandy dancing in Alaska; the Navy in which I actually did see a lot of the world; worked construction in New England; taught at a Mid- Western university; worked on an oil refinery, a railroad in New Jersey, a national food company and a big communications outfit, among others. >> Welcome to the porch, John. Gandy dancing was about as galootish an occupation there ever will be. I've seen the work in a documentary and it makes scrub planing look like a stroll in the park. Erik von Sneidern who wonders if someone onlist c#llects railroad tools. |
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52500 | Wesley Groot <wesg@e...> | 1998‑10‑30 | Re: Obligatory Bio |
Alright! Welcome Mr. North to the porch! On behalf of those of us who are fortunate enough to have a computer and a few Galootish tools, but are unfortunate in that we don't know offhand what the practice of "gandy dancing" entails; What is gandy dancing? Oh yeah, and what's a black gang? Humbly, Wes p.s. I checked no reference material before posting this question. > Between then and now I worked a variety of jobs: the black gang in the > Merchant Marine; gandy dancing in Alaska; |
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52503 | Lee Sudlow <l-sudlow@p...> | 1998‑10‑30 | Re: Obligatory Bio |
On Fri, 30 Oct 1998, Wesley Groot the tall galoot wrote: > Alright! Welcome Mr. North to the porch! On behalf of those of us > who are fortunate enough to have a computer and a few Galootish tools, > but are unfortunate in that we don't know offhand what the practice of > "gandy dancing" entails; > What is gandy dancing? Oh yeah, and what's a black gang? Gandy dancing was an extremely galootish activity. It was a practise used on the railroads in days of yore in which a gang of laborers would be sent out along the tracks to check for the alignment of the rails. The men would use large pry bars to move the tracks laterally in their beds of crushed rock. The pry bars were reputedly manufactured by, you guessed it, the Gandy Co., hence gandy dancers. One man alone could not budge the tracks, but the men would work in concert, usually to some sort of chanted rhythm (kinda like Bill Murray in Stripes). The force the men would apply to the rails was usually done at certain parts of the verses that the foreman was chanting. These guys were able to move 70-120 lb rails this way. The rail inspectors would use the gandy dancers to fix alignment of the tracks in the curves. Misaligned tracks in curves are a bad thing, very bad. If you get a chance, Wes, go to an ACE hardware or farm supply store and look at the pinch bars that are available. These are 5 ft. variations on the pry bars the gandy dancers would use. Think of a crow bar on massive steroids. Railroads, for the most part, did away with the dancers in favor of maintainence-of-way machines. These are the oddly shaped, purpose built machines used to aline and respike tracks. Fascinating pieces of industrial design and construction. Lee Sudlow |
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52508 | John.S.North@V... (John S. North) | 1998‑10‑30 | Re: Obligatory Bio |
Wes Lee Sudlow's answer to your question is (pardon me) partly on track. His description of lining rail is quite accurate, but that's not gandy dancing. It is true that The Gandy Manufacturing Co. Chicago, Illinois made tools used by track workers. They probably did make the lining bars, which as Lee points out were humongous crow bars. A gandy dancer is (was) a track worker. If he worked a designated section of the railroad he was called a section hand. The "dancer" part of the name comes from his function of tamping ties. Actually tamping the ballast in which the ties are bedded. He stands on one tie on one foot. His other foot drives a number two shovel ("Mexican Dragline with a hickory boom") into the ballast under the tie in front of him. Four men facing forward on each tie and four men working backward down the line tamp both sides of each tie and both sides of the two rails. There was usually a whole crew doing this more or less simultaneously. Each man holding his shovel in both hands and bouncing up and down on one foot,"dancing". It was an unusual sight, and one no longer seen. The function is now performed by hydraulic tamping machines. These are mounted on railroad wheels and mechanically tamp the ballast with eight sets of tools somewhat like dull chisels pounding into the ballast on each side of each tie (sleepers, Jeff) and each side of both rails. Tailed apprentices aren't the only devices that have supplanted hand tools. After the ties have been tamped the rails are aligned as Lee described. Usually eight men, four on each rail, heaving at the command of the foreman who is squatting some distance down the line sighting (in my experience) through a notch of hole in a small slat of wood resting on the rail. Next question: Black Gang: The engineroom crew on a ship so called because of their appearance coming off watch in the days of coal burning steamships. Nothing to do with race. Most of them were likely white when they went on watch. John |
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52522 | Robert Arthur <rob@p...> | 1998‑10‑30 | Re: Obligatory Bio |
For anyone in the Washington D.C. area interested in actually seeing this there is a team of reenactors that demonstrate at the Manassas Railroad Festival each year. You can even buy a tape of the songs. It's a fascinating demonstration, and as Lee says "extremely galootish". Rob rob@p... At 11:35 AM 10/30/98 , Lee Sudlow wrote: >Gandy dancing was an extremely galootish activity. It was a practise used >on the railroads in days of yore in which a gang of laborers would be >sent out along the tracks to check for the alignment of the rails. The >men would use large pry bars to move the tracks laterally in their >beds of crushed rock. The pry bars were reputedly manufactured by, you >guessed it, the Gandy Co., hence gandy dancers. One man alone could not >budge the tracks, but the men would work in concert, usually to some sort >of chanted rhythm (kinda like Bill Murray in Stripes). The force the >men would apply to the rails was usually done at certain parts of the >verses that the foreman was chanting. These guys were able to move >70-120 lb rails this way. The rail inspectors would use the gandy dancers >to fix alignment of the tracks in the curves. Misaligned tracks in curves >are a bad thing, very bad. |
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52526 | stevereynolds@j... (Steve Reynolds) | 1998‑10‑30 | Re: Obligatory Bio |
On 30 Oct 98 12:44:42 EST John.S.North@V... (John S. North) writes: [snip] > >A gandy dancer is (was) a track worker. If he worked a designated >section of the railroad he was called a section hand. > I have been telling my kids (during trips to the Strasburg Railroad) that the hand propelled track vehicle was called a gandy dancer. What is that thing called? Regards, Steve |
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52531 | Ed Bell <ed.bell@c...> | 1998‑10‑30 | Re: Obligatory Bio |
Steve Reynolds wrote: > > I have been telling my kids (during trips to the Strasburg Railroad) > that the hand propelled track vehicle was called a gandy dancer. What > is that thing called? A hand car. Ed |
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