The railroad keepers were also known as ‘gandy dancers’
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, “gandy dancers” were railroad workers whose jobs consisted of carrying out any railroad track task. These obligations included setting ties, hammering spikes, and replacing rails. However, gandy dancers have been a crucial part of railroad maintenance since the early 19th century.
By looking at the odd name of this profession, one might believe that it had to do with dancing. Still, that is quite far from the truth. This job instead required the workers to singlehandedly maintain the train tracks clean and free of any obstructions that could potentially cause accidents.