
Central of Georgia Railway Alco RS-2 gets a wash at Columbus, Georgia, in May 1955. Photograph by J. Parker Lamb, © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Lamb-02-011-08

Grand Trunk Western Railroad train crew for GTW commuter passenger train no. 999 at Brush St. Station in Detroit, Michigan, on June 22, 1973. Photograph by John F. Bjorklund, © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Bjorklund-58-15-15

Alaska Railroad trainman Gene Owens riding a freight car in Anchorage, c. 1970. Photograph by Leo King, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. King-03-001-008

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad steam locomotive no. 4604 at the shop in Dayton, Ohio, in August 1955. Photograph by J. Parker Lamb, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Lamb-01-001-01

Illinois Central Railroad steam locomotive wash at shop in Louisville, Kentucky, in July 1957. Photograph by J. Parker Lamb. © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Lamb-01-008-01

Norfolk Southern Railway hostler uses engine air compressor to spin Baldwin diesel locomotive on turntable at Raleigh, North Carolina, in September 1961. Photograph by J. Parker Lamb, © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Lamb-01-087-12

Friendly diesel maintainer in Southern Railway's yard at Meridian, Mississippi, invited the photographer to take a portrait and send him a copy in August 1954. His pride in being a railroad employee is illustrated in his jaunty cap angle. Photograph by J. Parker Lamb, © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Lamb-01-109-10

Tennessee Central Railway FA gets sand the old-fashioned way—one can at a time—in June 1962. Photograph by J. Parker Lamb, © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Lamb-02-023-11

Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad track inspectors tighten bolts on Southern Pacific Railroad crossing at Elgin, Texas (east of Austin), in March 1973. Southbound local crew (background) is busy with switching chores. Photograph by J. Parker Lamb, © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Lamb-02-045-05

A Black worker rides the pilot of Louisiana Long Leaf Lumber 2-6-2 steam locomotive 7 at Fisher, Louisiana, in 1962. Photograph by Fred M. Springer, © 2014, Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Springer-TX2-08-19

A worker drives a fork lift past the observation car for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad's Denver Zephyr passenger train at Fourteenth Street in Chicago Illinois, on June 3, 1951. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. Abbey-01-141-02; © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art

A Black dining car worker smiles for Wallace Abbey's camera from the Golden State Limited passenger train in this 1965 image. Behind him, the interior of the dining car is visible. Abbey captured this scene at Englewood Union Station, which sat at the junction of the New York Central Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, and Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad on Chicago's South Side. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-06-041-08

A sleeping car porter smiles for the camera on board the Burlington Northern Railroad's Seattle-bound Empire Builder passenger train during a station stop at Belton (West Glacier), Montana, on April 25, 1970. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art, Abbey-07-087-14

A dining car worker on board the Burlington Northern Railroad's Empire Builder near Whitefish, Montana, en route to Seattle, Washington, on April 25, 1970. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-07-090-31

A dining car worker on board the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway's combined Super Chief - El Capitan passenger train at Los Angeles Union Station on April 28, 1970. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography & Art. Abbey-07-096-04

Office worker of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad at Chicago Union Station in the 1970s. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Abbey-09-063-08;

Crew members of a Baltimore & Ohio passenger train converse on the platform of Cincinnati Union Terminal in September of 1952. Photograph by Wallace Abbey. © 2016, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-09-108-01

A porter prepares Amtrak's North Coast Hiawatha for riders, clearing snow from the steps of one of the passenger cars in Fargo, North Dakota, on December 8, 1972. Photograph by Victor Hand. Hand-AM-59-004

Leland "Sugar" Cain, chef of the Presidential Car, waves to onlookers as the circus train heads from Baraboo to Madison, Wisconsin, over the Chicago & North Western on the first leg of a trip to Milwaukee on May 19, 1981. Photograph by Henry A. Koshollek

Leland "Sugar" Cain, chef of the Presidential Car, prepares breakfast for crew members before the Circus World Museum's circus train departs from Baraboo for Madison, Wisconsin, over the Chicago & North Western on May 19, 1981. Photograph by Henry A. Koshollek.

Leland "Sugar" Cain spent more than fifty years with the Chicago & North Western, working aboard dining cars like his father before him. He was on a business car as part of the Circus World Museum's circus train, en route from Baraboo, Wisconsin, to Milwaukee, on May 19, 1981, when he was photographed while being interviewed by newspaper reporters in Madison. Photograph by Henry A. Koshollek

Black and white railroad workers stand next to a Shay steam locomotive of the Twin Seams Mining Company in Kellerman, Alabama, around 1960. Photograph by Ted Rose, © 2021, Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Rose-01-147-012

Shot in Hardeeville, South Carolina, in the early months of 1956, this image shows an Argent Lumber Company worker feeding the firebox of one of Argent's wood-burning locomotives. Throughout its history, Argent owned seven of these narrow-gauge steam locomotives. At the time of this photograph, Argent was the only interstate narrow gauge logging railroad in the nation. Photograph by Jim Shaughnessy. © 2021, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Shaughnessy-N-ARGENT-0012.

A Black railroader converses with another worker amid the Argent Lumber Company's smoky yard just outside of Hardeeville, South Carolina, in the early months of 1956. Photograph by Jim Shaughnessy. © 2021, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Shaughnessy-N-ARGENT-0021-2

An Argent Lumber Company worker with one of the company's wood-burning steam locomotives just outside of Hardeeville, South Carolina, in the early months of 1956. Photograph by Jim Shaughnessy. © 2021, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Shaughnessy-N-ARGENT-0049