A brakeman rides with the conductor and engineer on the engine. He is the low man in the pecking order. He manually lines switches, gets rails pointing the right direction. He opens gates at industrial customer sites. He flags traffic at unprotected crossings, which is usually very dangerous because no one watches the opening; they watch the train.

The engineer has to calculate the train's speed with the number of cars so he won't violate any weight restrictions. He knows where all the men and cars are and what they're doing. They say he has to obey any civilian command to stop.

The conductor is responsible for all paperwork, the train orders (who what when where.) He keeps the crew placement (before & during work shift)and payroll straight.

A hostler used to move the engine to front and middle, and he was responsible for gas refills.
A hostler helper did. He served as brakeman for one person.

The carman took 2 years of school to handle car repairs. He inspected and tested brakes. With handbrakes, unconnected to train airbreakers, on each car a spinning wheel tightens the chain for squeezing the wheels. Handbrakes are manual because the engine leaves, cars sit and wait. Carmen let off the handbrakes for recoupleing, for hooking cars together again.

Train crews stayed in the YMCA next to the track with pool, a basic kitchen, library, basketball court and an (unofficial) gambling room. Smarter men sat, talked and whittled cedar on porch, knee deep. Not surprising, cedar helped the building's odor and fleas.