In my experience, the switchmen and carmen seemed to use the bigger
softer chalk, while the clerks often used the greasier chalks which
were somewhat smaller in diameter. Clerks often marked which
industries the cars were to go to, often with the date the car
arrived at the location where they were marked.

Chet French
Dixon, IL

--- In STMFC@..., cj riley <cjriley42@...> wrote:

I have spent 50 years in the construction business and have much

experience

with various "chalks" (sometimes called "keel") and have always

suspected, but

have not verified, that RR car markings were done in a similar

material. It is

slightly "greasier" than classrom chalk, therefore making a very

clear and

bright mark. It came in white, yellow and blue and since blue does

not

photograph well in old b&w film, some of the white markings may

well be blue.

Mont's description fits this material perfectly.

CJ Riley


--- Mont Switzer <mhts_switzerm@...> wrote:

Barry,

The chalks that I recall seeing came from a large box clearly

marked as and

marketed as "railroad chalk." The pieces were about 1 inch in

diameter and

maybe 6 inches long. Each piece was flat on one end and rounded

on the

other. These were heavy pieces of chalk as you would expect for

writing on

RR cars and other industrial uses. All that I remember was

white, but other

colors were certainly a possibility.

This chalk was nothing like what you would find in a

classroom. Each

"stick" reminded me of the end of a small broom handle. They fit

well in a

gloved hand.

They had many uses in the transportation business.

Mont Switzer


Barry Roth <barry_roth@...> wrote:
Maybe filched from the pool room? This brings up

another question:

what shape(s) were the chalks used on cars? Sticks like in

classrooms

(breakable), or cakes (like some surveyors' chalks)?

Barry Roth

Anthony Thompson <thompson@...> wrote:

[...]

West Coast photos in color from the 1950s show mostly white,
some yellow (Greg Martin is right that it might be hard to

distinguish

white from PALE yellow, even in color, on a sunlit car, but

by "yellow"

I mean a deep yellow). I have not been able to find a single

instance

of blue. It would sure have been a distinctive color to use!

.

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