TITLE: The Trackwalker

The railroad Trackwalker was once an important, but unremarked role on the railroad. These employees traced the railroad track day and night, through city and country, inspecting the right-of-way for potential safety issues and addressing them before they could cause a problem. Prior to mechanized inspectors and optical instrumentation, having boots on the ground with eyes on the track was the best way to ensure the track was safe.

Trackwalkers were usually assigned a section of railroad four to seven miles in length. Walking the length of their section twice a shift, they came to know their part of the railroad intimately and many seemed to have a sixth sense to uncover potential problems. Looking for broken rails, loose connecting plates, high spikes, debris or animals on the track, they made sure their section was safe for passage. This immediacy with the right-of-way put them in great danger though - many were killed by the trains that they were tasked with protecting.

AUTHOR: Eric Williams (United States)

Eric Williams is a professional Creative Director with a passion for landscape and railroad themed fine art photography. He lives in Millburn NJ, and travels by train and subway daily to his Manhattan employer.

While formally trained as an industrial designer, he is a self-taught photographer who enjoys combining his mixed vocations and love of design, minimalism, and narrative to create imagery that highlights the relationship between people and the contextual environment.

Eric’s recent honors include awards from The Center for Fine Art Photography, International Photography Awards, B&W Magazine, New York Center for Photographic Arts and Trains Magazine. His work has been shown at The Monmouth Museum, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Aljira-Center for Contemporary Art, Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, and the California State Railroad Museum, among others.