RR workwear: Discussed here!

If you did that on MY company, chances are you'd be laughed slam off the right of way! Ya want to get the name "FOAMER" sho' nuff? Show up in such an outfit! LMAO! Best to save it for the museum!


Gadfly

On conrail we had an engineer (int. DM) out of phila who worked the OCS trains. He always came out with pin stripped bib overalls. We all laughed at him .

That museum stuff is fine---for the museum! You want to be branded as a member of the "National Railway HYSTERICAL Society" fer sure? Foamin' at th' mouth ravin' railfan? DORK, even? Honestly, I mean NO harm, but if you REALLY want to fit in, dress in modern WORK wear! The steam days are OVER! Deal with it and do TODAY'S job and leave the steam train fanatics behind. If you bring that old-time garb out here, you WILL be laughed slam off the ROW!! I'm telling you TRUE!!!!!

Gadfly

Gadfly wrote:That museum stuff is fine---for the museum! You want to be branded as a member of the "National Railway HYSTERICAL Society" fer sure? Foamin' at th' mouth ravin' railfan? DORK, even? Honestly, I mean NO harm, but if you REALLY want to fit in, dress in modern WORK wear! The steam days are OVER! Deal with it and do TODAY'S job and leave the steam train fanatics behind. If you bring that old-time garb out here, you WILL be laughed slam off the ROW!! I'm telling you TRUE!!!!!

Gadfly

Believe it.

The ribbing apparently doesn't stop some people. There are a few motormen (or whatever you call 'em) on the el red and brown lines in Chicago that dress like they were about to hop on a Pennsy K4, complete with hickory-striped jacket, overalls, and bandana. Makes for a good chuckle as they pull into my station!!!

to each its own, at least they did not show up in a pink TuTu

I just remembered that we yard clerks once dressed up like that for a JOKE. We ALL bought Red Camel overalls (not the striped kind), wore pocket watches, carried a red bandana in our back pocket, and came to work like that. One of the boys sold Amtrak tickets like that! You should have seen the puzzled expression on the Terminal Agent's face when he came in around 9 AM! Finally, he couldn't STAND it anymore!

"Just what the "H" are you boys DOING, anyhow? Whassa matter wid you?"

We burst out laughing!

"I don't mind you lookin' like idiots, but don't you WEAR that junk to sell tickets anymore!!!!

We also had this foreman in the Storehouse that was....................kinda flaky!
He was whiney, kinda like the 5th grade tattletale you knew in grammar school. His favorite expressions when there was something odd going on around the shop, "THERE'S POLITICS INVOLVED!" So WE'D go around behind his back mocking him in his whiney, high-pitched voice...................."There's POLITICS involved!!!" His methods and his almost-madness sometimes drove us up a wall, so all 9 of us in the Storehouse came to work in white lab coats!!! Everytime we'd see him we'd start singing, "They're comin' to take me away, HEE HEE! They're comin' to take me away, HA HA! They're comin' to take me AWAY, HEE HEE, HA HA, HI HI< HO HO! "Poo Poo", as we called him (because we thought he was full of ----) almost went over the edge!!!!!!!

Gadfly

We have a bunch of guys in our terminal that wear bib overalls. I've worn them on occasion, too. Know why? They are comfortable. You' don't have to be worried about being arrested for "possession of crack" when you bend over to hang hoses. There's a real handy pocket for your switchlist and pens, spare radio battery, switch keys, etc. And they can keep your street clothes cleaner.

There was a reason old-tyme RRers wore them. SO if you want to think it is because of some foamer fantasy, then go right ahead.

Gadfly wrote:That museum stuff is fine---for the museum! You want to be branded as a member of the "National Railway HYSTERICAL Society" fer sure? Foamin' at th' mouth ravin' railfan? DORK, even? Honestly, I mean NO harm, but if you REALLY want to fit in, dress in modern WORK wear! The steam days are OVER! Deal with it and do TODAY'S job and leave the steam train fanatics behind. If you bring that old-time garb out here, you WILL be laughed slam off the ROW!! I'm telling you TRUE!!!!!

Gadfly

Yeah modern work wear. I remember the last time I had to shove coal into the cement plant. Crawling on those cars to set brakes, I was a mess. Or getting snagged on old cement cars with buildup, cars of tallow with it spilled everywhere, getting on and of scrap cars, you name it. Sure you could wear your Abercrombie and Fitch jeans out there and look contemporary. Or, you can use common sense.

Everyone in the car and locomotive shop wears them. Yard brakemen do. A lot of the MoW types do. Some who are overweight hoggers wear them. Personally, I wear work jeans from Tractor Supply in the summer. They are coverd in oil spots, and grime from locomotives. But they have the extra pockets I want.

Come late autumn into winter, you could not survive here without them, I don't care what your job is.

A few years ago, when it was announced that OshKosh would stop making men's work wear, there was a run on the markets. People were purchasing 5 and ten pairs of overalls, work coats, and jeans. I was only able to get 3 pairs and a work coat, which I use in the garage doing wood work in the winter. Within 2 months of the end of production, everything was gone.

The weather is now cooling off at night, so I just broke out the bibs. It's funny, I always forget just how comfortable they are. I'll probably wear these until it gets real cold, then I'll break out the lined carhartt pants. I always knew where my switch lists, pens, and yard sheets were tonight (right in the front pocket) and I had easy access to my switch keys and utility truck keys, both hanging off the loop. Why would anyone poke fun at wearing these?????

I like wearing bibs, and yes they are pin striped! They are real handy for not getting so dirty when I have to crawl between units and MU them. One of the engineers that I trained with always wore them. The top pocket was right handy to store the Skoal can.

I realize that this thread is a little dated, but it came up on a search, so I'm a new member. Here's a list of "railroad clothing" manufactuers that I compiled for friends and family a few weeks ago. I enjoy wearing my bibs and Kromer cap, especially in the summer.....30 years seniority talking here. All of this stuff says: MADE IN THE USA by th' way!
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1)Hickory Stripe "Railroad Bibs"- There are only 3 domestic manufacturers, Pointer Brand in Bristol, Tennessee. The other is Roundhouse Brand in Shawnee, OK. Key brand is sometimes manufactured in the US, but as of late, overseas.

Pointer website: http://www.pointerbrand.com/DynamicProd ... y=HighBack

Roundhouse website: http://www.round-house.com/index.html

Key Website: http://www.keyindustriesinc.com/

There are lots of brands out there, but other than Pointer and Roundhouse, all are manufactured overseas. Even the revered Carhartt blue denim bibs are imported now. Only their heavy brown canvas workwear in domestically manufactured here in the states. Dickies brand comes from Vietnam and China. OshKosh no longer makes adult clothing.


2) Hickory stripe and blue denim "Railroad Hats". Here, there are many imitators, but there is only ONE domestic manufacturer of these style hat. The KROMER brand hat is manufactured in Baltimore, MD. For those of you who don't know, the "Kromer" hat was invented by a locomotive engineer who was tired of his hat blowing off in the wind created by operating at speed.

Here's a website that tells more: http://www.ble.org/pr/journal/winter02/story9.html

Some folks refer to these as "welder's hats", but they are actually optimised for being on a steam loco. The high "balloon" at the top gives an insulating layer of air and is rounded and more streamlined to keep it from blowing off in the wind. They also manufacture an adjustable flat-top railroad hat called "The Railroader". Clinchfield #1 engineer Ed Hatcher would were nothing but a Kromer, and you can read references to them in some of O. Winston Link's books. Here's the KROMER website address:

http://www.kromercap.com/


3) Gloves. If you go to any hardware store nowadays, all you will find is imported gloves. But there is still one manufacturer of "railroad style" gloves here in the states: Fairfield glove company in Fairfield, Iowa still produces a style that was favored by engine service employees. They are called "Signal" and they are identical to those used by engineers in years past. Remember, leather gloves became stiff in cold weather and were rarely used by engineers and trainmen in the old days. They are good for trainmen too, since they are clot and have a better "feel" when holding a grab iron. I were these all the time still today. Here's a link to the Fairfield website:

http://www.fairfieldlineinc.com/product.php?id=175


4) Bandanas. Bandanas are easy to find, but one made in the states is not. Even the famous "Hav-a-Hank" brand is now made in China. Carolina Manufacturing in Greenville, SC is about the last domestic manufacturer in the states. You can browse their offerings at the following website:

http://www.bandannacompany.com/index.ph ... =bandannas


5) Hickory stripe and blue denim coats and shirts. Here again, Pointer and Key are just about all that's offered as far as made in the USA. Pointer brand is the best quality and they use domestically produced fabric as well, so they come highly recommended. See above websites for info.


6) Boots. Red Wing, Chippewa, and Carolina Boot still produce some styles made here in the states, including the black, thick soled ones favored by railroad men. Here's a good source:

http://www.americanmadeworkboots.com/



7) Railroad Lanterns. Here is the official supplier of electric railroad lanterns to the railroads, Star Railroad Products, Inc.:

http://www.star1889.com/starrailroad.htm


If any of you find discover another item that may come up, please let me know.

I've got a start date coming up in 2 weeks and I'm curious about what we can wear out on the job. I've been working outside for quite some time, but not with no shade. I'm a little concered about the heat and sun in the coming weeks in Jacksonville. I'm pretty sure they issue some kind of uniforms? Shirts and pants or just shirts? Are the shirts long sleeve? Are they pretty heavy cotton? Do you have to wear them or can you wear your own stuff?

I assume you must wear a hard hat at all times. Do they issue a certain kind or do you get to choose whatever kind you want as long as it's approved? Also, can you wear a bandana or something under your hard hat to cover the sides of your face and neck for sun protection?

Gloves? Required? Again, issued or bring your own?

Vitali wrote:I've got a start date coming up in 2 weeks and I'm curious about what we can wear out on the job. I've been working outside for quite some time, but not with no shade. I'm a little concered about the heat and sun in the coming weeks in Jacksonville. I'm pretty sure they issue some kind of uniforms? Shirts and pants or just shirts? Are the shirts long sleeve? Are they pretty heavy cotton? Do you have to wear them or can you wear your own stuff?

I assume you must wear a hard hat at all times. Do they issue a certain kind or do you get to choose whatever kind you want as long as it's approved? Also, can you wear a bandana or something under your hard hat to cover the sides of your face and neck for sun protection?

Gloves? Required? Again, issued or bring your own?

No uniforms. Most roads require shirts with a sleeve, no cut offs. Long pants, and steel toe boots ( the exact type depends upon the road, and your job assignment). All workers need safety glasses, some crafts allow prescription eye wear only, others require side shields and impact resistant lenses. Rings, jewelry, and other embelishments are not safe, and should be left at home. My carrier provides PPE, including leather gloves, hearing protection, and some heat products. If your craft requires hard hats, then it will be provided, as well as face shields, liners, and hi-viz vests. Also, resparator fitting and training is provided. If you are a welder, you will get appropriate PPE once in training. Also, some crafts such as train and engine are provided with insulated gloves, boots, and slip proof overshoes if your climate requires it.

And, at least from my experience, each carrier has their own specs on safety equipment, so wait until you get in training, and see what is permitted, and what is not.

No uniforms. Most roads require shirts with a sleeve, no cut offs. Long pants, and steel toe boots ( the exact type depends upon the road, and your job assignment)

Thanks for the response, HoggerKen.

So CSX lets you wear your own stuff. That's good to know. I've got some lightweight summer shirts and pants and I'll probably get a couple more.