In a three-piece suit & tie complete with handkerchief, this fellow seems quite overdressed. Railyards (especially in the days of steam locomotives) were very dirty places. Bib overalls would have been more appropriate. Maybe he spends time in an office or just wanted to look good for Mr. Vachon's camera.

I hadn't thought about graffiti in 1942. But then why not. Much less ugly than spray paint!

[Those are yard-crew markings. - Dave]

A rifle ... next to an oil tank(er)??? Guess he didn't see the movie (But he had a good excuse: it wouldn't be released until seven years later)

Someone obviously pilfered it! The oil-filled journal box should have a snug-fitting cover, as seen on the one at far left, to keep rain water and road dust out of the bearing area. The journal box closest to the gun-toting lawman seems to have taken its leave?

A few years earlier the railroad yard cop would have been after hobos; movies of the 1930s have many such scenes. By 1942, war and economic activity had largely solved the hobo 'problem'. Now the concerns were sabotage, theft of raw materials, and security in general.

I've seen pictures of the yard cop with a night stick. Winchester is the baseball bat. I guess for the war effort and saboteurs?