They’ve been working on the railroad — and have been eating and sleeping there, too.
Since last month, 36 men working for the Norfolk Southern Railroad have called Belleville home. These men have spent their days replacing thousands of railroad ties along the rail line throughout the metro-east area, and by night, they stay in the 10 lodging railroad cars near 17th Street.
They come from all over the Midwest, mostly Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. They work in most of the eastern half of the country, replacing 1,800 to 2,400 ties a day by machine.
Norfolk Southern spokesman Rudy Husband said the railroad has used lodging cars to house its crews since the 18th century. He said the railroad saves money by accommodating workers rather than booking hotels.
“We utilize those cars for all of our track workers,” Husband said.
At the Belleville encampment, there are seven cars that house six men apiece; one car for the kitchen, another car for dining, and a car where the foreman has his office and stores supplies.
Richard Miller said he can see the workers from his backyard on West A Street.
“They haven’t been rowdy or noisy,” Miller said. “They just come and go during the week.”
The workers have brought modern necessities, like dorm-sized refrigerators and television sets. Two men have hooked up satellite dishes. However, they said life on the railroad isn’t for everybody.
“Not everyone can do this; this can be hard work for a man, and it can be hard on a marriage,” said 44-year-old Rick Morgan of Mexico, Mo. He said he once knew a co-worker who returned home one weekend after working on the rails and discovered all of his belongings were gone.
Foreman J.D. King said many men in his crew have worked together for almost 10 years. During the first three months of the year, they worked in Georgia, mostly in the Atlanta area. Before then, they worked in Silver Creek, N.Y.; Cleveland; and Toledo, Ohio.
In one day of work in Granite City, King said the men placed 1,976 new ties. The crew is moving to its next job in Hannibal, Mo., and eventually will reach the end of Norfolk Southern’s line in Kansas City.
Although they get to travel, this hasn’t been everyone’s choice of work. Because of the lagging economy, some workers said they lost their previous day jobs and were forced to take work where they are away from their families.
“It’s about the only job I’ve really had,” said 47-year-old Ron Edwards, who is from Muncie, Ind. “Cutbacks have forced us back out here. This is where I started 20 years ago.”
“I’m just happy to have a job and to be working,” King said.
One woman is in charge of feeding the men at the end of each day. Rita Sullivan of Prichard, W.Va., has prepared meals for this crew for the past two years. She said the railroad has established a self-contained living environment for the men.
“It’s a pretty good setup,” Sullivan said. “You get to know everybody and their families.”
