What was a "Gandy Dancer"?

A "Gandy Dancer" was a railroad worker. The professional name was "Section worker". These railroad employees laid, repaired, and maintained railroad tracks before being outdated by modern machines.

The origin of the term "Gandy Dancer" is unknown, but research indicates the term may have come from the "Gandy Tool Company", who manufactured the tools required to build and maintain railways.

A more colorful explanation comes from the movement of the workers as they chanted while swinging the large hammers and tools in the laying and repair of the rails. One origin speculates it was the manner the workers would waddle like ganders (geese) as they walked down the rails.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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36 Comments

Attitude

Gandy Dancers still exist -- Modern machines are good for the large projects where high production is a necessity, But track laborers (Gandys) still pound the spikes, set the creepers and tamp the ties every day.

dfstrzok

Gandy Dancers are the railroad workers who tamped down RR ballast, using narrow, long-blade shovels. When they rapidly jumped down on the shovel, they looked like they were dancing. There are a few videos from the early 20th century where you can see the action. Machines with long-fingered attachments took over the task using hydraulics.

Eric Brown

I grew up in a town where the UPRR employed a large percentage of the people living there. In fact my oldest brother was a 'Section Worker' aka Gandy Dancer for a few years.

bldion

Gordon Lightfoot sang about the "navvies" (navigational workers) in his song, "Canadian Railroad Trilogy"... the song is a tribute to railroad workers who were long forgotten, as well as to the 'romance' of having worked on "the iron road running from the sea to the sea."

jaime alzate

INTERESTING. THANKS.

Emilia Kosterina

Great question.

Wil Scarrow

The 'gandy dancer' was the guy that jumped('danced') on the lever or shovel to raise the rail when necessary. So now you know...

Tom Seigo

Heard about the Gandy Dancers as a kid growing up in southern WV, where rails were always needing repaired for shipping the coal north!

John Fairbank

Hworker bounced up & down on a handy long crow bar. Thus GANDY DANCING,

Brent Babcock

My fourth wife ran off with a gandy dancer.

Vonda Summers

Lucky guess

Wow very cool

Lindsay Fussell

Very interesting! Thanks, Addman!

Ed Taber

In 1958 I was at a friends home next to the SP Main line in Redwood City, CA. and heard some singing. I went out and a crew of ten or so workers were driving spikes and singing as they worked. They were all Black and the lead man led the singing. Those men never missed a single spike! They actually made it look like fin. A bygone talent.

vasily tchaikovsky

Good Q and A . never heard about it ,thanks

purpleeyes

Knew this cause my father-in-law worked for the RR

Thor Johnson

My uncle was a gandy dancer.

matthew rosa

Talent Show Intro: "You All Heard Of Morris Dancing!-You All Heard Of Gandy Dancing!-This Guy Is Better Than That Cat Or That Skinny Guy From India!-Its Gene Gene The Dancing Machine!" (Sorry!-You Need A Good Memory Of The Past To Get THAT Joke!)