South Paris

Rail-fan Pictures in South Paris

South Paris is one of the places that used to garner a local switcher. Now only New England Public Warehouse at 164 Pine St, is left. The South Paris station is now the Norway Soft Serve ice cream shop. 65 Main St, South Paris, ME 04281, 44°13'15.4"N 70°30'59.3"W.

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Definition
Term	Defined As
Gandy Dancer	Track laborer. The term originated around 1915-20 apparently in reference to the rhythmic movements characteristic of such work. Before machines were available for the work, a worker would lift his gandy (Lining Bar) and force it into the ballast to create a fulcrum, then throw himself sideways using the gandy to amplify his full weight. This would slide the rail and ties over slightly. Even with all impacts from the work crew timed correctly, any progress made in shifting the track would not become visible until after a large number of repetitions. Rhythm was necessary for this process, both to synchronize the manual labor, and to maintain the morale of workers whose exertions produced only a minuscule effect; hence "gandy dancers". The songs sung in this occupation have been recognized as a major influence on later blues music. Thanks urbandictionary.com for this one. AKA Snipe(His boss is a King Snipe.), or Track Laborer.

Definition

Term

Defined As

Gandy Dancer

Track laborer. The term originated around 1915-20 apparently in reference to the rhythmic movements characteristic of such work. Before machines were available for the work, a worker would lift his gandy (Lining Bar) and force it into the ballast to create a fulcrum, then throw himself sideways using the gandy to amplify his full weight. This would slide the rail and ties over slightly. Even with all impacts from the work crew timed correctly, any progress made in shifting the track would not become visible until after a large number of repetitions. Rhythm was necessary for this process, both to synchronize the manual labor, and to maintain the morale of workers whose exertions produced only a minuscule effect; hence "gandy dancers". The songs sung in this occupation have been recognized as a major influence on later blues music. Thanks urbandictionary.com for this one. AKA Snipe(His boss is a King Snipe.), or Track Laborer.

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By John Erickson

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Rail-fan Pictures in South Paris

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