RE: [CBQ] Roustabout

["Charlie Vlk" <cvlk@comcast.net>]

 

The term “roustabout” is a general term for an unskilled laborer.   The term is associated with Circus laborers; it also has nautical (esp. Mississippi River) origins referring to unskilled deckhands doing undesirable jobs.   The oil drilling industry uses the term for a laborer doing the worst available difficult and sometimes dangerous jobs.

 

One can see how railroaders would pick up this term to apply to such assignments.

Charlie Vlk

 

A "roustabout" was an old term for what we would call a "road switcher" job. They typically ran for shorter runs and did more switching that most local or way freights. Some operated in switching limits while others did not. Of course, the ones in switching limits were manned by yard crews.

 

 

 

__._,_.___

Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___