Slang for the track laborer who lines rail with a bar, tamps ties and drives spikes by hand. Lining crews heave on their bars in unison to a caller's chant, the rhythm most people connect with the name. Track laborers use it with pride, and it covers anyone doing manual track maintenance rather than running the big production machines.
Foreman's short three gandy dancers on the tie gang, so the machine operators are out there pulling spikes by hand.
Also heard as
- section hand
- track laborer
- trackman
Related terms
MOW
Maintenance of way: the department and crews that build and maintain track, bridges and roadbed.
Tie
One of the crosswise beams that hold the rails to gauge and spread their load into the ballast.
Ballast
The bed of crushed rock under and around the ties that holds the track in line and drains water away.
Hi-rail
A truck fitted with retractable flanged wheels so it can drive on the track as well as on the road.