If you're in the Bay Area, the place to go for heavy duty work clothes is Workingman's Emporium in San Jose. It's on First St., just north of St. James. They have Ben Davis, Carhartt and other brands of rugged togs, in a wide range of sizes. They also do mail orders, but I don't think they do PayPal or other on line payments. Haven't been there recently, but there used to be a good German-style restaurant across the street (but watch for light-rail trains.

I've been trying to locate a picture of my late grandfather who was an engineer on the CNJ ( 1892-1939) and who always wore Hickory stripes after he was promoted to engineer in 1919 and according to family lore always shined his boots each evening for the next day.

If I can find it someday I'll post the picture of him and his fireman posed next to their locomotive pulling the Blue Comet in his Hickory stripes and shined boots!!

Them were the days my lads!!

Ross Rowland

Almost feels like the good 'ol days of RYPN. A discussion with something of value at the end! David, the links were awesome. Great archive information. So, David, what did you buy and what does your personal style look like?

More pictures please.....

Kindly,

John and all,

I haven't made any purchases yet. Still trying to decide. Back when I was at KRM and working on L&N 152, I dressed fairly traditionally. Here is a photo from about 2002. I am wearing a pair of Roundhouse overalls, a chambray work shirt, a sized hat (with L&N patch), and a Hamilton 950 pocket watch with a leather strap. The only thing missing in the photo is a old pair of American Optical goggles I used to wear. Safety glasses always seemed to let in cinders.

After moving to St. Louis in 2004, I became involved in traction preservation, so my overalls were relegated to shop clothing. I still own a pair of Key Brand denim blue overalls and several work shirts. Key always impressed me with their range of sizes. Plus, I could buy all that I needed at a farm store in my wife's hometown of Rolla, MO. I also still own a Carhart denim blue chore coat with a wool liner that must be 20 years old, but still fits and is still in good shape. The only modification I made to it was to remove the label on the outside of the jacket as it looked too "modern". I've also attached a photo of me at MOT in my Key overalls and shirt. I'm recreating a photo from the mid 1930s with the St. Louis Water Division streetcar.

Now that I live in an area where I'm a short drive from one steam operation, and a reasonable drive to another, I'm getting the "itch" again. I think I will buy another pair or two of denim overalls, a pair of hickory striped overalls and an unlined chore coat. I have a couple of unused hickory stripe hats and a wool winter Kromer hat. I think I'll be in pretty good shape. I also plan on getting a Mackinaw wool coat for general wear that can be pressed into use for railroading.

Link: The Workingman's Emporium
Looks like they do mail order and it looks like it does on-line shopping.

I've found a few photos and have scanned them. In this post, here we see a locomotive crew in the cab of a Union Pacific 4000 "Big Boy" locomotive, from a UP publicity photo. Even though it is staged, it looks like they used a real crew. Engineer is wearing Lee bib overalls and a traditional style engineer's cap. The fireman is wearing what appears to be denim blue overalls, but with a hickory stripe shirt. Key makes a very similar shirt today. Fireman also appears to be wearing a cotton Kromer cap.

Here is another staged photograph, but with a C&O H-8 2-6-6-6 locomotive. Engineer is wearing a hickory stripe "chore coat" along with a two-color hat, which Kromer still makes. Fireman appears to be wearing denim overalls.

Liberty currently offers a nice denim unlined chore coat with triple-stitched seams like the old versions, with a navy blue corduroy collar. Pointer Brand has a version, but the seams are single-stitched. Key Brand, Dickies and other brands make heavy-duty hickory-stripe work shirts with double-stitches seams, as well as blue-gray chambray and denim shirts. And don't forget Ann Moore's Hats and Totes Co. She has been making a variety of railroad style caps in denim, hickory stripe and corduroy for years, pleated and balloon top versions. Ordered from her a few years ago, but don't know if she is still in business. Conway Scenic was ordering caps from her with pleated hickory stripe tops and blue denim bills and sweatbands for sale in their gift shop.

James,

Thank you for the reply. After poking around, it appears that Moore's does not have a internet presence, but may still be functioning, via snail-mail. Here is an address that I have been told where one can get an illustrated price list:

Moore's Hats and Totes at P.O. Box 104 Charleston, ME 04422

That seems to be the address I used. I had a brochure she sent out which I believe had a phone number on it.

For those interested in the caps Brent and I have offered in the past, here's a link. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33177&hilit=thompson+caps

We are not producing at this time, but would consider a production run if there was enough demand.

I also bought a couple of Randy's caps and they are great.

This was the cover of a 1929 timetable showing the bib overalls & cap worn on the New Haven.

Going back a generation or two earlier, here are some pictures of train crews on the Sandy River narrow gauge in Maine between the 1890s and the 1910s. Denim overalls and chore coats appear to have been standard.

-Philip Marshall

I have heard that hickory stripes became popular in the 1920s and later, so you wouldn't necessarily have seen it in the 1890s. I've also heard that old mattress ticking was used as an economical source of fabric.