Last Updated on June 30, 2025 by Matt Staff
These images not only highlight the physical demands of railroad work but also the deep sense of pride these individuals had in their roles. Whether enduring extreme weather or long hours, these workers helped shape the infrastructure that would revolutionize the world.
Through their expressions, tools, and environments, we can see the strength and resilience that defined an era of rapid change in transportation history. Here are 20 vintage photos of railroad workers from the past.
1. A track walker for the Reading Railroad, 1941
2. Working as a welder in the Chicago railyard, 1940s
3. Repairing a steam locomotive in the late 1930s
4. “My grandpa, working on the railroad in the early 1940s”
5. Putting together some new wheelsets, early 1940s
6. Building a railroad bridge entirely out of stacked logs in Oregon, 1903
7. Getting ready to test the tracks, Kentucky, 1959
8. A welder patching up the railroad in Chicago, 1940s
9. “My Great-Great-Uncle, the train conductor, 1910”
10. The Atlantic locomotive with double-decker cars built in Pennsylvania, 1935
11. One of the first female train engineers for the Union Pacific
12. “My great grandpa was working for CSX trains in North Georgia, 1960s”
13. Railroad workers working with the Taj Mahal in the background, Agra, India
14. Working on the railroad in Kansas
15. Helping build the railroad tunnel under the Detroit river, 1909
16. The Pennsylvania railroad crew, early 1940s
17. Railroad workers in Thurmond, West Virginia, 1910
18. Norwegian steam locomotive fireman oiling the machinery in the winter of 1955
19. Starting work on the U.S. Railroad, 1940
20. The Southern Pacific Railroad shop crew, Oregon, 1920
Want to see more blue-collar content?
Check out 25 Plumbing Fails That Ruined Houses Entirely, or take a look at 20 Blue Collar Fails That Could’ve Cost People Their Job. Finally, if you want to see steelworkers from the past, check out 20 Colorized Photos Of Steelworkers and Miners in the Early 1900s.
