Santa Fe Railroad Workers

Santa Fe Railroad Workers. . , "On the job when they would be sent to different camps, the men either slept in the railroad cars or on the ground.", Describe a regular working day... , You began real early in the morning (5:00a.m.) and you drove with two or three others to your assigned destination. We would come in at 6:00 p.m. The work was very hard. We changed the ties, replaced rails, and had small breaks because of so much work. It was back breaking but we all worked the same. No more, no less. We became such good friends, lasting until death. , Placido Galban II Railroad Worker, A Day at work was... , "Very tiring, they had to work out under the weather. In the winter they would come home with ice on their mustaches and their coats frozen stiff." , Cayetano Guzman Railroad Worker, "The work was back breaking with long hours.", Working on the rails was some of the toughest work in American history. The Iron Horses needed track to be laid, constant repair for their rails, and major clean up after any accidents. When accidents occur, red workers would work 24/7 until the wreckage was cleaned from the tracks. When they would travel to other areas that needed work, they would often sleep overnight on mats in the ditches around the cars or in the cars themselves., Work was done in all weather conditions (rain, sleet, ice, snow). This type of work gave new definition to the term "back breaking." Men of many different backgrounds and cultures worked the rails. However, a very large number of men working the rails themselves in this area of Texas were Hispanic and hailed directly from Mexico just to work the railroads., "If I could go back to the railroad I would do it all over again and wouldn't change a thing. I would put 30 more years again. I loved the railroad!" , Frosty Quinteros Railroad Worker