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The Gandy Dancer

One Comment

  1. Mark Laszlo September 17, 2021

    I knew a signalman for the NY MTA. He said the other professions in NYC’s subways and elevated tracks, included “gandy dancers”, so-called by the way they had
    to walk in step a very odd way carrying rails on the tracks, hard, dangerous work. I see now their choreography was more varied. There are also workers who maintain the electrical power system that the 600 volt DC 3rd rails and everything else ran off of. When they were called, the power in a section was turned off. Everyone else stopped working until the power maintainers were finished. I met a MTA power maintainer too. He said a foreman rushed him to climb a ladder to a an electrical box. As soon as he touched the circuit it exploded in drops of molten copper in his face. From then on, that power maintainer refused to be rushed! My friend who was a signalman was also an electrical engineer. He said if someone is working on any electrical equipment, even ordinary 115 volt home wiring, it also should be disconnected 1st if possible.
    If he started shaking, unable to let go of the wiring, do
    not pull him off it by touching his body or you may be
    electrocuted along with him. Grab his belt to pull him
    back. Respect electricity!

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