This is a photo of a group of men working on the rails in the Pierce/Benbush Area. They are unidentified. They appear to be sitting on a hand/pump cart. These carts were often used to go back and forth checking and repairing the rails. A typical design consists of an arm, called the walking beam, that pivots, seesaw-like, on a base, which the passengers alternately push down and pull up to move the
hand cart. These carts were also used by people to move from one location to another. I can remember my grandmother telling me that when she was young, she and a friend named Vivian would wait for the
last train to run in the evening and then they would put a hand cart on the rails. They would go down the tracks and visit others and collect drift wood along the way back home. When they arrived back home, they would split the wood they had collected and in this way they could help out with the family firewood. Ideas or comments contact Tim Turner (304) 478-3389.
