For the second group of employments designated, shopwork, the physical requirements are higher than for office and clerical work, since shopwork generally calls for at least ordinary strength and eyesight. Shopworkers include general foremen, gang and other foremen, machinists, boiler makers, blacksmiths, carpenters, painters, upholsterers, electricians, air brake men, car inspectors, car repairmen, mechanics helpers, and apprentices. A number of men now employed in these occupations have suffered injuries to hands or feet, or have defective hearing. Foremen can perform their duties under disabilities that would be serious handicaps for workmen, but a foreman needs good eyesight.
Skill Required for Shopwork
Practically all of these occupations require considerable skill and general knowledge of railroad equipment. While the workmen have machines with which to perform many operations in the shop, still much handwork must be done. This is the case because repair work is varied, and the work must usually be done partly on the car or engine, sometimes out on the road. The machinist’s work is generally heavy and greasy. Some of the carpentering and paint work is rough, as is that on box cars, while some, such as the cabinet making and varnishing of passenger coaches, is highly skilled.
Training
A skilled machinist or mechanic can learn to do railroad work very quickly after he gets on the job. Others must spend a period of apprenticeship to learn the trade. Quite a number of railroads have regular apprenticeship courses. Wood-working and metal-trade schools also give much of the training required for railroad shop work. We give below a description of the occupations to suggest to the disabled soldier the training he will probably need, and to enable him to decide whether the occupations are suited to his disabilities.
Great Demand for Shopworkers
For the disabled soldier or sailor who is mechanically inclined, the railroad shop offers an opportunity for good wages and advancement. The depreciation of the great amount of mechanical equipment of a modern railroad is very large and railroads have not had in the shops for a number of years sufficient men to keep the rolling stock in good condition. The number of bad-order cars and locomotives has been large, and they have not moved out of the shops as rapidly as they should. The automobile industry has undoubtedly been a strong competitor for the mechanics who otherwise might have gone into railroad shops. Some railroads have attempted to provide themselves with sufficient machinists by training apprentices in considerable numbers.
PLAN No. 979. THE HEADS OF THE TWO DEPARTMENTS
The master mechanic has charge of the machine shop and the employees therein. Under him, are usually, shop foremen, roundhouse foremen, road foremen, and sometimes other supervisors. He may himself be under a superintendent of motive power, or directly under the division superintendent.
Usually on a par with the master mechanic is the superintendent of the car department, sometimes called a master carpenter, who has charge of car builders and painters, repairmen and inspectors, cleaners and oilers.