My grandmother was one of the first women to be a train engineer for Union Pacific, possibly the first in her state (mid-1970s)
I was offered a position as an engineer. I was prepared to take it until they told me about the hours they'd expect me to work with a rotating schedule.
Tell us more. I’ve heard it’s terrible.
Yeah the hours they have to work are loco
Motive to take the job would need to be high.
Yeah, but they train you for that kind of lifestyle.
It's better than being railroaded into something you never wanted to do.
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1.0y
Easy to get derailed from ordinary life though...
Still, it must be difficult to stay on-track.
Locomotive?
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1.0y
We work 12 hours a day siting in a chair looking through a window at basically nothing but tracks. Source: me, a 25yr old engineer
Let me guess; "all the live long day"?
Yeah, but how many had as awesome hair as she did?
it's very hard to have good hair in that environment. I’m like a sweat volcano at work in the summer
I can hear her beads through the picture! :)
My wife’s old boss was the first female conductor on the Soo Line in Milwaukee. Her stories about how these dudes treated her are unbelievable. I could only imagine being a black woman in that world during this time. She must’ve been one tough cookie! Took no shit from out of no one. So cool!
She’s running an EMD of some type, by the way!
Wow! That’s incredible.
Unfortunately, my grandma is no longer with us, but yes, the guys did treat her badly. The worst part, she said, was that they would deliberately piss all over the toilet seat, and use racial slurs. Gross.
Dudes still do that to this day, piss all over the toilet seat. Most women did the “hover”. I saw little boot prints on the seat and was all like, ???? Then it dawned on me. Other asshole dudes have said, I’m pissing all over the seat if I gotta work with so and so. Jerks. My wife’s old boss worked for months before they even told her there was a head on the engine. She had no idea! They didn’t want to hire her in craft, they wanted her to work in clerical, but she said, “do they make as much as them?”They said no, then she says, “I want that job!” Tough women back in the day. Requiescat Engineer Gramma. I’d have loved to be on your crew! She looks cool!
Most women did the “hover”.
I'm 52 and still have to do the hover sometimes in public restrooms. I've had to do it a lot at different jobs. At my job now, I work nights and the men know to clean the damned toilet before they leave or they will be getting texts and calls all night about it.
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1.0y
Bring it up with HR, I guess. You saying something about it isn't the uncouth part of the situation; them pissing on the goddamn seat is.
Dudes still do that to this day, piss all over the toilet seat.
Bad news, there are still plenty of dudes who do the other thing as well.
Piss in the sink?
I’m an engineer and when I work with female conductors, I don’t use the front head. I’ll go to the second engine or just piss off the side of the catwalk if we’re out in the sticks far enough. It’s not like I intentionally pee on anything but I’d rather just be on the safe side.
Even after doing a cleaning job, I’d imagine most women still do the hover because those toilets are fucking gross. And I’d say my railroad is typically on the cleaner side as far as they all go.
or just piss off the side of the catwalk if we’re out in the sticks far enough
For some reason I’m just cracking up at the image of a train chugging peacefully through farmland with one single solitary stream of urine sprinkling from the side as it goes. Like the world’s least efficient crop irrigation system.
I suppose you could do it on the fly but I usually stop. That is pretty funny to think about though.
I hear that. We’ve had a few female conductors that clean the bathroom, I’ll go right off the catwalk, like you said. That said do you have a boss named Sean aka Smithers?
Requiescat
ROBUST VOCABULARY STRIKES AGAIN!!
Requiescat (n.) - a wish or prayer for the repose (rest) of a dead person
Love learning new vocabulary. Thank you.
She sounds badass!
Just my experience though now, in terms of general public restroom use, women are more messy in bathrooms. Because of the hover they do
While I've never seen it though, I could totally see some boys club doing bullshit like that.
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1.0y
Any idea what got her interested in doing that job? Did she stay with it and retire from the railroad?
She ended up disabled at age 38, unfortunately.
Because of the job?
If it makes you feel any better, when I used to work at a Ford factory (only 10 or so years ago) guys pissed on each other's forklift seats, and they were basically all white men. Some people will find a reason to abuse anyone, even when they're all the same
No cameras on the job site?
Everyone knew exactly who was doing what, but everyone was union and so management had no power to do anything and the union ensured that no one was punished. I am actually very pro-union, but sometimes it was very frustrating.
Abusing another union member should be grounds for termination from said union.
Yeah not there. Happened constantly and as long as it wasn't a "safety issue," it rarely resulted in anything. The prank scene was wiiiild.
In all fairness I was in the cab of a locomotive yesterday and a thing still smelled of piss and had it everywhere and there was only men up there.
All the NS, UP and CSX motors smell like piss as they don’t seem to use any chemical in their toilets. Yuck. And it’s still like that!
I can confirm that CSX uses plenty of chemicals lol
That's crazy, it's a little different now. The railway I'm on now has been hiring quite a few women in the running trades. I've had engineers call the shops and demand the toilet be cleaned and serviced for their crew and obvs themselves.
Pissing on the toilet seat and leaving it like that. A bit like marking territory, but honestly, it's straight up douchebaggery. At least wipe clean the seat afterwards. Other bros appreciate it when it's time for #2, and your wife will too.
Whenever I see one of these it reminds me of my Aunt. One of the ETTs at Seattle city light in the seventies. Becoming one of the electricians that maintained the city power grid.
What did they do to her?
Who are you talking to?
Edit: Downvoted? Why? For clarifying?! Tough crowd…
You, I was just curious if you remember any stories. Breaking the gender barrier in that industry in that era musta been hard
You might be surprised but this behaviour still goes on in male dominated businesses (not all obviously, but it happens)
When I started my first corporate job one of the male VPs introduced me as the “younger, hot” version of the lady that I replaced. So much casual sexual harassment.
Women harassed out of STEM jobs (to this day) would certainly attest to that.
Absolutely.
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1.0y
Yes sadly it’s true. I worked in hospitality for a long time and endured some sickening treatment as a young woman in a male dominated place / shifts. Just a disgusting culture.
People suck
The insecurity that led men to actively block women from participating in everything from careers to running in marathons is astounding. I couldn’t care less if my boss is a woman or not. Why would I?
Those beads with the stern but still beautiful look. She seems like a total badass.
She really, really was.
Her hairstyle is magnificent and her lashes are beautiful. And she's breaking down barriers. Role model right there...
Was gonna say goddamn those lashes are incredible.
Eyelashes are something I never notice. But I sure as hell did this time.
I think what you mean is: she's got drip.
Here's middle aged ol me on the way to Urban dictionary
The new season of Queer Eye taught me it’s the new “cool” lol.
Speak into my ear trumpet child, can't hear you...
While you're there look up "rizz"
Gonna use Duck go go for this... 😁 Everyday a school day
Your grandmother is GORGEOUS.
Looked at this picture was like, now that’s old school cool, and then checked the sub. Haha. Love your gram.
Sorry for your loss. She was beautiful and clearly dope as fuck.
She is amazing.
Please tell us how bad ass she was!!
Love the beads.. but her eyelashes are what stood out to me. She looks like she could handle herself.
Eyelashes and being able to handle yourself? What?
First thought was super freak by Rick James.
Peaches & Herb for me.
Agreed. That facial expression says so much. From: "yes, I've worked my ass off to getting here, thank you for acknowledging that", to: "I'm not saying anything to you that you could use to hurt me", to: "take the damn picture and get out of my way, this train ain't going to drive itself!"
She looks like Gabrielle Union.
I think she inspired Rick James on his look.
That's a really freakin cool picture
Very cool!!
Thank you!
I only recently learned that my father's aunt, a diminutive, quiet woman, worked her entire career as a large engine mechanic. The only time she left the shop was for eight months when she was pregnant (keep in mind, she was unwed and this was the 1950s... but that's another story for another day) and they transferred her temporarily to working the mail room.
Absolutely incredible to me, these strong, amazing women breaking through into fields traditionally occupied by men. They were trailblazers, and they are incredibly inspirational. <3
Looks like a movie star . What a badass. Cannot have been easy .
Major movie star vibes she’s so pretty!!
Agreed ! My grandson says she looks like an actress!!! .
Cool grandmother and beautiful picture of her too.
Dude Grandma is hot.
Perhaps so. I recently found out she had a whole-ass sugar daddy for years while she was married to her second husband.
This happens. Some of the old head had families on both ends of the line. I couldn’t believe it when I saw this for real back when I was green. People get lonely and we spend many hours in a hotel away from home. Not saying I’m into that, but I get it with some of these guys. I’ve surpassed all odds with 23 years of marriage whilst working on the railroad!
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1.0y
Nobody's glorifying it, just saying that it happens for fairly understandable reasons.
In fact they were even saying that they're 23 years strong in their marriage.
Edit: Typo
Is your mother Togolese by any chance?
Your grandmother sounds like she was too big for this mortal realm. I admire people (especially women)who have a soul so big that it cuts through life. Thank you for sharing!
I'm guessing Rick James by the looks of her hair.
Did she ever say "choo choo, here comes broccoli!" to you :)
No, but she was a very good cook. I remember the time I was four or five and she made broccoli and for some reason I hated it, when usually I loved it. Turns out, she’d forgotten to season it.
She cute
The click clack of the track echoed in grandmas braids would have driven some good ole boys out of their minds. Love it.
I can believe it. I work in end of life care, some of the men (to their credit at least, in their declining state of mind) resort to "old timey speak" (blatant racism or sexism for a lack of better words) and make general comments regarding the "colored folks" tending to them, women in certain roles, etc.
As I mentioned in another comment, our connection to the past when sexism and racism (and every other '...ism'") ran rampart in daily life is still very close. It's an important reminder for what we came from, and what we're trying to continue to achieve as far as equality/acceptance/etc.
Not sure if we're moving forwards or backwards these days sometimes though.
Oof. Heard any deathbed confessions you care to share?
The click clack of the track echoed in grandmas braids
oh wow this imagery is beautiful. Powerful words for a powerful picture
That is TRUE cool.
So freaking cool. This photo is straight up inspirational. I can’t imagine how many women looked up to her while she was doing this job. And she looked damn good while doing it!
This picture is phenomenal, so powerful. And she is a true queen. Get this in a frame ASAP. I’d say this photo should even be in some sort of museum!
Jesus she looks cool
Grandma was a badass trailblazer and pretty. Getting that 70’s Peaches and Herb vibe.
Very cool. Couldn’t imagine all the dumb shit that was said to her by idiotic racist rednecks during her time with Union Pacific.
I admire your grandmother! She looks beautiful, confident, and capable.
Amazing photo. Could see it being blown up to. A whole wall of a museum.
Looking phenomenal doing it too
Dang, did she know she’d be photographed that day or was that her usual work look? I never look that cute for work.
Great pic and thar hair style is badass.
Rick james ....biiiiiitch
UNITY
Cool hair.
Rad AF
That's so cool!! I love how the pic is from the mid 70s but if you changed out the seat and threw a hi-viz on that could have been the pile of junk I ran today.
Working with older adults, it really helps bridge the gap for me between "then and now."
Race and gender inequalities are things that are still alive to this day, and our connection to the past is still heavily felt. It's amazing what some of the men and women I work with had to endure, persevere through.
I feel like people are a little fatigued by the "first woman/first African American/first ....." these days, but honestly those are some truly remarkable things to accomplish.
Back in the day, women were essentially pressured into only a few career fields, secretary, teacher, nurse, or stay at home mom. It's pretty amazing listening to the stories from the women I work with.
She endured it for all of us.
I love the ‘don’t fuck with my train’ look she’s got going on there! I’d be very proud if she was my grandmother.
It's the Soul Train baby
Fantastic 'do!
That a really cool photo you got there.
Super cool! What piqued her interest in being a train engineer?
Grandma was fly with those braids.
Bad AF
The look on her face.
“Get your ass back in your seat!”
OK, but why does your grandma look like a literal queen with that hairstyle? She looks so cool lol. This is awesome, good for her!!
She looks like the actress in Glow who was “welfare queen”! Gorgeous granny
Why do I suddenly feel like imma get the back of my head slapped for swearing, called sugar baby, and then sat down for some pie?
Don't that suck your grandma cooler than you she rocks
That is cool thanks for sharing
Good content right here! Your Grandmom is a trailblazer!!
Great story and even better photo 👍
A black woman, nonetheless, in the 70s. That's a very determined human who doesn't accept societal limitations.
Ovaries of steel!
Bad ass!
Awesome. I love this image
and train engineers are some of the most sexist people on the planet. I feel sorry for that lady, and the crap she had to hear from her crewmates
My army days, cant even compare to how toxic those people can become
That's awesome. She looks like she knows what she's doing in that picture. "Let's try a barrel roll, that's a neat trick"
Stunning picture.
And beautiful, to boot
Brave. Great portrait. Thanks for sharing.
“Choo! Choo!!…👍🏾
dang your granny gorgeous as fuck <3
be proud of your trailblazing grandma, she's awesome! i'm a dude that's as white as the sun is bright so what would i know about the struggle, but i recently rewatched Hidden Figures, can not recommend enough! great movie and story (it's crazy how it was back then...), awesome music score and at times even funny through the actresses :3
She looks Couch-Stompingly cool
If she's still with us tell her some random guy on the internet thinks her hair is fucking rad!
Awesome photo, wow!
This should be posted in train porn.
Props to your Grandma! That's definitely the cockpit of a locomotive. Even today that is a serious male dominated profession and the field employees in general is a stomping ground for gruff blue collar white dudes. I'm sure she put up with a ton of shit in her time there. I imagine your family harks from North Omaha as well?
P.S. I used to work for them.
HELL YEAH!
What a Queen
I love this: not just a trailblazer but a pioneer with uncompromising personal style. No doubt this is an impressive person.
Joan Henry you've come a long way baby.
She had a dope hair style
She fly
This is one of THE coolest photos I’ve seen on this sub. She’s beautiful and rad.
That pic is dope. All Hail the Queen of the Tracks!
Gorgeous. Woow!!!
Like everybody else, I just want to chime in and say what an inspirational and cool lady.
As an amateur photographer, I also want to comment that this is just a wonderful candid portrait.
Your gran was a beautiful woman
Looking at that picture... I would not like to argue with that lady! Very attractive though...
She must have been tuff as nails. The first woman in any, male dominated job, is brutal. I'm sure she had to put up with a lot of shite. Fair play to her!
Your Gramma=Incredibly fierce, + highly intelligent+ an absolute classicly beautiful Queen! Effing amazing photo and story. I am dying to hear how her employment as an engineer began! Namaste ☮️
Fuck yo couch!
You’re grandma was, and probably still is, a badass.
fuck I wanna be your grandma when I grow up
Wow! She's beautiful and got style. Bet she was an amazing person overall :)
And was looking fly while tearing down the patriarchy.
She looks like a queen. Probably had to be tough too—my dad’s best friend was a train engineer, and talked about walking long distances in really rough places all hours of the night
Much respect!!!!
Powerful 💪
She’s beautiful
She’s so pretty!!
Read this as first women to be a trans gender.
Thought this was Nina Simone for a sec 😄
And My God Mom!! Excellent and funny as heck!! I was talking about her to Mom just today :)
Hanging out with your Grandmother must have been rad. What a boss! Love it
This photo is just mesmerizing, so beautiful.
I LOVE this pic! Grandma was beautiful and powerful!
Badass.
What a badass!!!!
Hello bad as* grandma! She is gorgeous. Love her hair. Love this. Thank u for sharing.
She looks like a goddess! ♥️
What a boss
She made it easier for me to be a locomotive engineer!!! Thank you for her courage. She was way ahead of her time. The earlliest women engineers I know were from the 1980's.