Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
March 1943. "Wellington, Kansas. An Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad crew posing in front of their engine before pulling out of Wellington for Waynoka, Oklahoma. Left to right: D.C. Quivey, head brakeman; D.B. Wallingford, conductor; B.F. Hale, engineer; and fireman Walker." Acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Oh, look! The single-named fireman has a 'shovel' under his arm too! Seriously, ol' #4097 didn't need any shoveling in any event since she was an oil burner. Makes sense in Texas and similar instead of hauling coal a long ways.
Q: Why can't a steam locomotive sit down?
A: It has a tender behind!
In my childhood musings, I thought driving a locomotive would be a blast, but these guys don't look like they have any fun at all!
Seems like a necktie is a bit overdressed to be shoveling coal into a firebox. Or any other job on a steam engine like this one.
Delano signaled the relative job status of each man: conductor and engineer in the middle, head brakeman with adjective of rank (a standard crew would have had a second brakeman), fireman without initials (unless Walker was his first name, in which case even more so). Even their heights convey comparative 'stature'.
The fellow on the far left is carrying a shovel. I'd wager he's the fireman, and the brakeman is on your far right.
[That's a glove, not a shovel. Stoking locomotives with shovels ended long before this photo was made. - Dave]
With a lot of miles on them I'll bet.
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5