"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" was written by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer.

Laying track to Rock Ridge and keeping rhythm to a Cole Porter work song.

One wonders how the foremen detected and dealt with the slacker(s) who would do a little less lifting than his comrades.

The laborers are not carrying that rail any great distance. Based on the presence of a spike puller and track wrenches laying just to the left, repairs are underway in the immediate area. The worker on the right is carrying a spike maul and so is probably not the foreman - I'd guess it is the man with the white hat to the rear.

The principal AT&SF RR ran from Los Angeles to Chicago, with many branches. Just because the workers are photographed near Cajon doesn't mean they lived in the area. They could have come from anywhere in the country. Just for reference, the following tribal nations reside in San Diego County: Kumeyaay, Luiseno, Cupeno, and Cahuilla.

They could have used a four hunnert dollar handcart to roll those rails down the line.

I came here to see the Blazing Saddles quotes!

There was a famous shovel manufacturer, The Gandy Company. Hence, the Gandy dancer track worker waltzing with his shovel all day.

Their catalog contained many two-hand tools designed for railroad trackwork.
On the ground, we see two such items: a large track bolt wrench and a spike puller. To the men doing the work, the spike puller was known as a "Roadmaster." One can only speculate if that was because the track foreman's boss, the Roadmaster, was only able to perform one job (i.e. harassing the track foreman) or because it was such an unbalanced tool (i.e. like the roadmaster's mental state)

The men doing the lifting or the curve-worn section of rail (notice the worn away head on the left side of the rail) are using rail tongs, possibly a Gandy product but just as likely to be from Buda, Fairmont or a dozen other makers.

You'll learn not to ask questions, lest you run afoul of Mr. Pedantic.

I agree - it looks staged for the photo. The front group of men are taking a step while the rear group don't even appear to have their end of the rail off the ground yet (or just barely). Facial expressions on the lead men looks like they're just about to break out laughing.

I see some guys trying not to laugh while they are participating in a staged shot.

[This is not in any way "staged." - Dave]

That section of rail probably weighed about 68 pounds per foot. No wonder it took a lot of men to carry it.

He's wearing what my generation knew as a drill-sergeant's hat. An appropriate association, because railroad section gangs, typically minorities or immigrants, and sometimes convicts, were subject to harsh discipline.

Section gangs were also called 'gandy dancers', the 'gandy' being a five-foot iron lever used to align track as the crew moved forward. All the gangs used chants or songs to coordinate movement. But the term 'gandy dancers' has become specifically associated with southern Black crews whose moves achieved balletic coordination. The original of folklore legend John Henry may have been a gandy dancer.

I'm reading Tony and Anne Hillerman novels, set in New Mexico, and each tribe can instantly recognize another's heritage, Navajo or Hopi or Pueblo, etc. What tribe might these be, and what part of the country?

[Read. The. Caption. - Dave]

[I. Did. Dave.] What tribe was my wondering.

Good a guess as any: the 39-foot rail weighs 112 pounds per yard, so say 1,500 pounds total with the tongs. What do they have, 16 guys carrying it? But no doubt they try to manage with fewer, now and then anyway.

Prove that rail is definitely heavy.