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section hand

American  

noun

Railroads.
  1. a person who works on a section gang.


Etymology

Origin of section hand

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A onetime section hand on the railroad, now a Birmingham lawyer, 38-year-old Augustus set out last week on a rival speaking tour.

From Time Magazine Archive

He wore the shabby blue overalls of a section hand.

From Time Magazine Archive

As a teenager, he worked two summers as a railroad section hand and got to know poor blacks.

From Time Magazine Archive

Woodruff, who had risen from section hand to president in 36 years with the Erie, bought new diesels for fast freight, streamlined the Erie's creaky business methods, cleared $21.8 million in 1941.

From Time Magazine Archive

I was a section hand much as six months in all my life.

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Arkansas Narratives, Part 2 by Work Projects Administration