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Marcella Hart: 1943
April 1943. Clinton, Iowa. "Mrs. Marcella Hart, mother of three, employed as a wiper at the ... the Long Island RR. The steam engines are gone, as are the wipers, but we still get just as filthy! Wipers OK, thanks "Our Mom" for the mental images - but what does a wiper do ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 4:43pm -

April 1943. Clinton, Iowa. "Mrs. Marcella Hart, mother of three, employed as a wiper at the roundhouse. Chicago & North Western R.R." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Blue and RedWonderful photo! I imagine Jack Delano saying something like, "Just as you are, ma'am, that's fine. Yep, grease and all, that's what I'm after." and her saying "You can have the grease, but there ain't no way you're taking that picture till I've put on my lipstick." Our momOur mom was a wiper, too. But it was mainly on our cabooses. And on really bad days, she probably looked a little like the hardworking lady in the photo. Sans overalls, of course. Marcella's tickerI'll bet there's a railroad pocket watch in her upper right coverall pocket attached to the denim shoelace. Some things don't change.I work on diesel locomotives in the Morris Park yard of the Long Island RR. The steam engines are gone, as are the wipers, but we still get just as filthy! WipersOK, thanks "Our Mom" for the mental images - but what does a wiper do in a locomotive sense? Good Manicure TooDespite her hard, dirty job, Mrs. Hart still has beautifully lacquered nails. Reminds me of the landlady in the first reel of "Swing Shift," who, as her young tenants are putting up her blackout curtains for her after Pearl Harbor, finally finishes with her nail file and announces to the room, "Well, this is one American who's going to die with perfect nails!" Re: WipersA wiper was essentially a '"ube tech" and cleaner, they went around and filled oil reservoirs on bearing-boxes and various pivot points then knocked off accumulated road grime. The Wiper's JobThe wiper's job was to wipe down or clean the boiler jacket -- no mean task on a big, modern engine. This was done with a handful of "waste" (a leftover from the textile mills, it was basically a wad of loose thread, used by the handful like a shop rag -- this is what she's holding in her right hand) and dipped in a light oil or kerosene (the red can). Wipers might also clean headlight, reverse lamp and class/marker lights, cab glass, and sweep down the running boards to remove accumulations of cinders. May have even hosed down the deck of the cab during this busy time, although firemen usually took care of that chore. Wipers Wipeoff dirt, grease, and any other gunk that gets on the locomotive. Railroads worked hard to keep their equipment looking good. If a wiper was good, he/she could move up to oiler, and learn how the various bearings should be lubricated. My dad started out his careeras a "callboy" on the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1920s. Very few people in those days had telephones. He went door to door to wake up operating personnel, like locomotive engineers and firemen, to call them to work. The prerequisite for the callboy job: you had to have a bicycle! His dad, my grandfather, was a "hogger"(locomotive engineer) with the CPR. He retired circa 1950. My dad progressed to an engine wiper, apprenticed as a steamfitter and received his journeyman's papers in 1936. He served in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve in WWII and went missing in action at sea 10 days before my birth in 1943. Just out of curiosityOldtimer, what ship was your father serving on when he was lost? This is my new nick here now, BrentMy father was serving on the HMCS Louisburg and Royal Canadian Naval Corvette of the Flower Class. They were on convoy duty running supplies and troops into North Africa for the campaign against Rommel. His ship was hit by an aerial torpedo and sunk very quickly. Being an "Engine Room Artificer" below decks, his chances of getting out alive were slim to none. Thanks for asking! http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/824.html (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Women Wipers: 1943
May 1943. Clinton, Iowa. " Women wipers of the Chicago & North Western Railroad ... of the Big Boys in their heyday - and more of the Women Wipers too! [Click the link in the caption. - Dave] Not to diminish ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/02/2014 - 3:33pm -

May 1943. Clinton, Iowa. "Women wipers of the Chicago & North Western Railroad going out to work on an engine at the roundhouse." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. PerspectiveThis really gives the viewer an idea of just how monstrously big that engine was! TerrificJust terrific! More Big Boys!As this shows up while Union Pacific 4014 is in transit to Cheyenne Wyoming for restoration, it would be nice to see more photos of the Big Boys in their heyday - and more of the Women Wipers too! [Click the link in the caption. - Dave] Not to diminish the size... of a steam locomotive, but the women are farther away from the front of the locomotive than it seems; a man standing beside that steam cylinder would almost be as tall as the cylinder. Steam locomotives were large indeed. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Marcella and Viola: 1943
April 1943. Clinton, Iowa. "Marcella Hart and Viola Sievers, wipers for the Chicago & North Western Railroad, cleaning one of the giant ... by Jack Delano. View full size. Engine wipers I wonder if they fell in love with steam, as so many of us are. I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 11:05pm -

April 1943. Clinton, Iowa. "Marcella Hart and Viola Sievers, wipers for the Chicago & North Western Railroad, cleaning one of the giant H-class locomotives." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. Engine wipersI wonder if they fell in love with steam, as so many of us are. I helped wipe down N&W 611 a while back when it came to Danville IL and stopped overnight, it was a thrill for me to work on her and my way of thanking that beautiful loco for all the rides I had behind her. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads, WW2)
The Ladies Who Lunch: 1943
April 1943. "Women workers employed as wipers in the roundhouse having lunch in their rest room, Chicago & North Western Railroad, Clinton, Iowa." Marcella Hart is at left, Mrs. Elibia Siematter at right. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/08/2017 - 8:42pm -

April 1943. "Women workers employed as wipers in the roundhouse having lunch in their rest room, Chicago & North Western Railroad, Clinton, Iowa." Marcella Hart is at left, Mrs. Elibia Siematter at right. Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Painted nails!I love the lady with the red bandana has her nails painted! Thermos BottlesInteresting that two of them have matching Thermos bottles . . . blue with red stripes. Wonder what they had in them, something cold or hot? Wiper's JobAccording to a Google search: a Wiper's job was to pack the internal moving parts of a steam locomotive with wads of greasy gunk. Sounds like that would make for a long day in the roundhouse. This is real "Rosie theThis is real "Rosie the Riveter" stuff! Marcella - what a gal! LUNCH PAILSNote that the majority of the lunch pails are wartime non-metallic. Also note the mason jars to carry a beverage and the wax paper used to wrap food. Locomotive Wiper"a Wiper's job was to pack the internal moving parts of a steam locomotive with wads of greasy gunk." Not exactly. An engine wiper's primary job was to "wipe down" the locomotive. Coal-burning locomotives were obviously dirty, and the soot settled on the boiler jacketing and cab roof. A wiper cotton waste (basically stringy offal from textile production) dipped in a light oil to remove the soot. S/he also swept cinders off the "running boards" (the walkways alongside the boiler) and the tender deck, and cleaned the running gear motion. Wonderful character studyThis is another wonderful shot of railroaders. There is lots of character and determination in those faces - wives, mothers, grandmothers. They look relaxed but "all business" at the same time. Patriotism in 1943 wasn't just a popular phrase back then - you lived it! America Fights a WarThis picture powerfully shows the way everyday Americans fought a War to Win it. Ten years earlier these ladies most certainly did not work down at the shop. Every family was somehow touched by the War effort. A sharp contrast to today's wars intimately touch maybe one in ten families. The rest have yellow ribbons and "Support the Troops" bumper stickers as their sacrifice. Interesting lunchpailsI have never seen this type of lunchpail before. It looks like some WW II item that was created for consumer usage to save metal for the war industry. Great photoThanks Dave for posting that again. Long been one of my favs, as others have said it oozes character and the type of arduous work many people toiled at during the War. Those Thermos bottles were standard accompaniments every day for millions of US workers. Probably these had hot (warm by noon) coffee or tea, sometimes soup. They'd just barely stay warm til noon. These wipers got quite dirty every day, so surprising their clothes weren't very dirty yet. But hands and fingernails were. Wiper in actionAlso from 1943 in Clinton, Iowa: https://www.shorpy.com/node/21255. Perhaps this woman wiping the window is one of our lunch ladies? Paging Norman RockwellThis looks like something he would have painted during the war. Waxed PaperYou fold it up, take it home in your lunch box, and use it for the next several meals. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads, WW2)
On Top of Old Steamy: 1943
Clinton, Iowa. April 1943. "Chicago & North Western Railroad. Women wipers at the roundhouse cleaning one of the giant H-class locomotives." In the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 4:47pm -

Clinton, Iowa. April 1943. "Chicago & North Western Railroad. Women wipers at the roundhouse cleaning one of the giant H-class locomotives." In the red bandanna: Marcella Hart, seen here in a few other posts. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. What a job.That looks really time consuming! Nice cabooseCarry on. Gotta love those 4x5 Kodachromes!These wartime 4x5 Kodachromes are so great! I don't know what it is, the colors may not be exactly accurate, but there's just something about them that grabs me. Some special kind of beauty. And the subjects, of course, pure Americana of the mid-twentieth century, that's the icing on the cake. Keep 'em coming! "Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away!" An inspiring series of photosMy fellow Shorpyfiles might be interested to know that this particular series of photos inspired a re-enactment a few years ago at the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Michigan. You can see the photos in this gallery: http://steamspecials.com/image-gallery/?album=1&gallery=41 There are also several posted at railpictures.net. Thanks to Shorpy and Dave for finding and posting these. Toot CoutureThey wear HEELS to climb all over a locomotive? Seems a bit PRECARIOUS to me! Spectactular, transcendent Images!The series of 4x5 Kodachromes from the WWII era are inspiring and transcendent and truly original and beautiful. Kodachrome looks like life. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Bathtime for Baby H
April 1943. "Viola Sievers, one of the wipers at the Chicago & North Western roundhouse, giving a giant "H" class locomotive a bath of live steam at Clinton, Iowa. Mrs. Sievers is the sole support of her mother and has a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 7:41pm -

April 1943. "Viola Sievers, one of the wipers at the Chicago & North Western roundhouse, giving a giant "H" class locomotive a bath of live steam at Clinton, Iowa. Mrs. Sievers is the sole support of her mother and has a son-in-law in the Army." Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano. View full size. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Railroads, WW2)
Window Seat: 1943
May 1943. "Clinton, Iowa. Women wipers of the Chicago & North Western cleaning one of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/31/2016 - 12:44am -

May 1943. "Clinton, Iowa. Women wipers of the Chicago & North Western cleaning one of the giant freight locomotives." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. C&NW engineThis was a so-called "Northern" steam engine, with a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement. Another photo: http://abpr.railfan.net/july98/07-06-98/cxnw001.jpg A Twofer!A locomotive and a caboose, in the same picture. Her official RR job title - WIPERReally, look it up. Railroader's know. [Do they know when to use an apostrophe? - Dave] Comment envyLove the caboose comment! It only took me a second to get it (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
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