Hello. As a long time railfan who just faintly recalls the era of rr ran passenger trains, I am seeking info on the uniforms used on these trains. I am doing this for my own benefit and also because the excursion railroad I voulunteer at is thinking of implementing standards for our trains. I am well familiar with the products of Transquip, Inc. so please no commercials. I am looking for memories, specs, etc. Thanks.
As I recall the waiters on the GN wore white Jackets with green GN lettering and piping and if memory serves me right a bow tie was part of the uniforn for lunch and dinner and i believe it was optional for breakfast. The Pullman Steward wore a Grey suit and the Pullman porters wore grey pants and a white jacket while on the car and great grey coats when assisting passengers boarding in the winter. The Conductor and Trainmen wore dark blue or maybe it was black uniforms and the Dining car steward wore a dark blue suit or maybe it was also black. I can’t for the life of me remember what the coach attendants wore. Is this the type of information you were seeking.
As passengerfan points out, employees in different crafts wore distinct uniforms. Pullman Co. employees wore Pullman uniforms; other onboard employees wore uniforms specified by the carrier or carriers (in the case of jointly-operated trains).
Recall that on long-distance trains the porters and dining and lounge car staff stayed onboard for the length of the train’s run; engine and train crews (engineer, fireman, train baggageman, conductor and brakemen) traded off at crew-change points, which might be 100 to 300 or so miles apart.
Railroads did provide specifications to uniform tailors–as to type and color of fabric and cut of the cloth. If you can find a uniform tailor which has retained its railroad specifications on file, you’ll have all that is needed to have uniforms recreated to order.
Black and Navy blue were common uniform colors, but others weren’t uncommon. In the '60s, the CB&Q used a royal blue, Rio Grande (IIRC) gray, and C&NW an olive green.
The traditional uniform worn by conductors and brakemen was a 3-piece suit: coat, vest and trousers. They were designed for long service and hard use. Pockets were of the slit type (no flaps) and were edged with leather, as were coat cuffs. Coats often had 2 side pockets on each side, arranged one above the other. A 4-button, single-breasted style was most common. Vests also had several pockets (not your typical 2-pocket bartender’s vest) although they usually didn’t get the leather treatment on the pocket edges.
Coat and vest buttons weren’t sewn on. Instead, they were affixed with a sort of cotter key to allow easy change-out. Brass was typical for a conductor’s buttons, nickle for a brakeman’s.
The railroad’s logo or initials often were applied to one or both coat lapels or collars. These might be embroidered or a metal fastening.
Uniform hats had military styling. The older, pilbox-with-a-brim style was most common. Peaked caps came into use after WWI
Thanks so much for the info. I was curious and sometimes it’s hard to tell about uniforms by photos. I really appreciate the detail about the construction of the uniforms and I hope more people will comment about this part of railroading that I’ve never seen discussed anywhere.
Pillbox caps are still fairly common. The caps worn by the conductor and trainmen on my line (Metra Southwest) are made of a stiff dark blue mesh instead of solid cloth.
As an aside, the conductors on PATH (Hudson Tubes) wore pillbox caps, which is not what you would expect on a transit system.
When I was on The Milwaukee Road, I handled the uniforms for a uniform company out of New York. I’ve had a long standing interest in uniforms. I also designed the original specs for the Metra uniforms.
After around 1920, the standard uniform was a 4-button “sack” coat with standard lapels, a 6-button vest, and trousers. They were made of 12 to 16 oz. wool, that was navy blue. Conductors, and dining car stewards, station masters, had gold buttons and trim. Trainmen, gatemen, attendants, etc, received silver buttons and trim. After WWII, some railroads began to change their uniforms. One of the first was the Santa Fe. They went to a 3 buton coat with a “Military Officer’s Cap” ( from their specs) to honor General Eisenhower. The KCS went to a grey uniform. The Burlington went to a lighter, more blue shade of cloth with a red tie in '56, and went to a millitary hat in '66. The GN went to a “french blue” uniform in '56, with a military cap. The Rock did the same, and included a light blue tie. The Rock Island referred to their cap as “Yachting Style” in their specs. Men on the Rock Island tended to take the “grommet” (stiffiner) out of their caps giving them the “20 mission crush” look. Later they went to light blue shirts as well. The worst exmples, before Amtrak came along with costume ware, was the CNW in '69. They went to a 2 button coat in forestry green,(same as park rangers) “Continental Styled,” with slanted pockets ,with a black stripe down the side of the trousers. One stripe on the sleeve for a collector, and two for a conductor. They had a mililtary cap as well. the IC went to the same thing in '71 except they just had the logo on the military cap and plain black buttons.
Dining car stewards generaly wore a conductor’s uniform with a white, startched vest. the B&O, and NYC stewards wore grey trousers with their uniforms. Some stewards wore formalwear, appropriate for time of day, i.e. dark grey coat, striped trousers for day, tux for dinner.
Flaps on trainmen’s uniform co
Thank you for all the info, Mitch. I bought a BN conductor’s uniform that has a made for Metra label by Caleb V. Smith on the inside. It is dark blue and I only have the coat and trousers. The trousers were way too large, and even after tailoring, are too baggy. I am searching for trousers more my size, along with a vest and a proper hat. I borrowed an original CBQ hat for a special occasion last year but eventually hope to complete my uniform. I like to “conduct” infrequently as I prefer the right hand seat up front. Thanks again and I might contact you if any other questions arise.
FYI…concernng Metra uniforms.
The color of the fabric is “US Customs Blue,” worn by customs agents. It’s not too far off of Burlington’s blue uniforms. The Metra vest was changed after I first laid out the specs. It now is 5 button style with the bottom cut straight across to acomodate coin changers worn on the belt. I don’t advise using this style with a classic uniform. Metra uniform cloth is treated with “Scotchgaurd” which causes the cloth to look hard and shiny.
Here’s how the Metra uniform came about. In 1978 as the RTA was assuming more responsibilities in overseeing suburban operations, there came the need to provide uniforms for the crew of the Orland Park train on the NS. At one time when I visited Carlson Uniforms when they were still in the Loop, I noticed what I thought was a trainman’s uniform hanging on the rack, complete with vest. It was a very pleasing shade of blue. I asked whoose uniform that was and I was told it was an Ozark Airlines captain’s uniform. It was further explained that Ozark wanted to “harken back to the days of rail travel.” I fliped because Amtrak wanted to look like flight captains. That’s the '70s for ya. I asked what shade of blue that was and was told “US Customs Blue.” I suggested that be used for the new uniforms as it doesn’t look black in flourescent lighting.
Anybody aware of manufacturers still in existence that make custom cap badges? Contact info?
LC
A female trainman has been working my outbound ride home (Metra Southwest) and her cap is a Navy WAVE style. Perhaps Mitch can comment if this is standard for female crews.
Wow - you guys sure know a lot of uniforms.
Can someone help me identify when these uniforms were from and maybe who they were for?
Thanks!