– a fictional account –
Earl Saarinen was a gandy dancer based in Astoria, Oregon. More specifically, he was a railroad track inspector. It was the summer of 1898 and the Astoria & Columbia River Line was brand new!
They had been having more problems with the Youngs Bay Trestle. He’d been shimming the tracks every day on the south end as the support pilings sank deeper into the soft sand 10 feet below the water line.
“Got another dip on the south end, Earl,” said the Superintendent. “Seaside train’ll be on its way by 9.”
“Handcar’s still on the rails. I’ll get out there and shim it up right quick.”
The velocipede was on a sidetrack near the rail shed. He and the other gandy dancers had been using it daily so they didn’t bother to lift the heavy thing off. The activity on their short line had been ramping up and so had the need for inspection and repairs of the local track. They were expecting the volume of freight they were getting. The surprise was all of the passenger action between the coast towns. 3 trains a day now!
Shorty Sakrison was putting away a parts delivery in the shed and offered to tag along. More hands usually meant quick work, even if they were Shorty’s hands. Earl climbed on the driver’s seat and off they went on the velocipede. It was the quickest way to get out on the rails for inspection and repair.
…
Handcars were most popular during the first 50 years of railroads. They were relatively lightweight, such that 3 or four men could lift one on and off the tracks. They were mostly used for railroad inspection and maintenance. Many were scrapped for war metal by World War 2.
In the early 20th century, they were gradually replaced by motorized cars used by railroad maintenance workers, first in the US and then gradually on railroads around the world.
Updated versions of non-motorized handcars or railbikes can still be found on lesser-traveled tourist-only railways, such as the Mt. Hood Scenic Railway in Hood River, Oregon.
