Railroad Workers of World War II

Manufacturing jobs weren’t the only ones left vacant by men who’d gone overseas during the war – because of gasoline and rubber rationing during the early 1940’s, passenger train traffic doubled and railroad companies scrambled to hire women to keep their engines running. Approximately 116,000 women were working on railroads by the war’s end, and Office of War Information photographer Jack Delano captured some of them on film as they did their part to support the war effort.

Photos of Women Railroad Workers during World War II: