How and Why did Conductors and Engineers get their outfits? | Railroad 101 

I love the little bit of fun that lawrie put in “Being an Englishman and therefore the proper way” Brilliant, absolutely brilliant

Working in the oilfield, we are required to wear Fire Resistant clothing on all outer layers. Not only are they cotton, as you've shown reasons why, they're treated to be fire resistant.

Appreciate the authority and depth of Ms. Haley's coverage of the subject.

This is an absolutely wonderful and informative video! The burn demonstration between natural and synthetic fibers was really eye-opening

For someone who burst out in laughter and a goofy smile at literally the drop of a hat, Hyce is an excellent conveyor of knowledge and getting really good hang on making the educational videos too! Adding in several of the other amazing chuckle brothers at the museum is a staple treat on the channel, but here the bar has been heightened even more, bringing on Haley the clothing expert for accuracy and Hyce's British cousin Lawrie for some right side of the pond shenanigans too! What can I say, Hyce really has outdone himself again (a recurring theme for these educational videos) and just delivers like the Big Boy freight train that he is! As an electrician of 20+ years, the importance of work wear and it's make has been drilled in from trade school and onwards into the working life. I've seen the constant reminders of using the correct fabrics from inner to outer, with horrible after images from electrical fires and explosions. Just a 5% plastic fabrics blend are not worth the risk in my line of work and it shouldn't be in the railroad either. But wool are a suitable addition/change for those cold area operations, only natural fiber have the correct properties and our company provided work wear have been treated with flame retardant chemicals as an added security barrier on most except the innermost layers. I've seen the aftermath of thousands of amps exploding in a molten copper spray with people in the room, where the several layers of clothing that were burned, can just be brushed off the burn area and the human inside the clothing escaped seemed nearly unscathed except the after effects of the deafening sounds that such energy releases. Brilliant video Hyce, on par with the safety videos I've been familiar with from my work, so pat yourself on the back for a well done task and thank thoroughly all the experts that took to make this a reality!

As a modern railroader, I still wear bibs, but mainly because they're comfortable! Plus, I like the pockets, I keep extra reversers, pens, scratch paper, etc. Very handy!

Natural wool is also really nice as a fiber that keeps you warm and dry but also doesn't let you catch fire very easily. Firefighter uniforms were made of wool historically, as it also sheds water really well.

I've been trained in labs about the need to avoid synthetics as they can melt and stick from heat and chemicals, but have never seen it demonstrated, not even in a training video. Ye gads. I recommend this video to anyone who teaches a lab/industrial safety class. I am also a craft and sewing nerd who likes historical clothes... so I looooove the intersection of cool historical machinery and the awesome, practical clothes that went with it. Thank you Hayley for the history lesson and collaborating on this fun video! Thank you Hyce, your work improves all the time! Onward and upward! :)

As someone who works in steel construction we wear all cotton tightly wowen clothes since they indeed are resistent to fire as shown. the tight woven is important since it make it even harder to light and burn through. And it have saved me many times from catching on fire more then neccesary from all the spark and weld sparks that land on me...

Poor Peaches, trying to snuggle with her binky for a nap, but the humans just won't stop yapping right next to her pilot. All jokes aside, awesome video as always, Hyce.

The whole polyester thing is why the US Navy is getting away from our current uniforms. Since they are made of Polyester... Ship board fire, plus polyester = not fun times. Also I was wondering when you and Laurie would do a colab, however small. About bloody time! Love the info. the 101 series are my favorite.

Look at Eric being a model conductor... model.

The crossover we didn’t know we needed, Hyce your English accent is impeccable! :P

In Britain, for a lot of the early era, enginemen wore _white_ fustian trousers, and in fact hard-wearing fustian cloth was used extensively. I expect they chose white as it was cheaper than dyeing, and colours would only fade and stain anyway.

Great having Hayley and LMM with you, Mark…! 👍 Greetings from 🇳🇴…

I read or heard somewhere that the neckerchief was also worn around the neck to help prevent hot cinders and ash from falling down one's collar. I also heard that the Derby hat was fairly popular for trainmen (and other laborers) up until the mid 1800s. :) I adore your channel and all the cool things I've learned from you!

I did know about the difference in how cotton and polyester react to fire, thanks to my involvement in motor sports. When I was getting my personal safety gear sorted for my very brief time as a race driver with SCCA, I learned that any patches I needed to add to my fire suit (the club does require a couple of them) should be sewn on with cotton thread. The use of cotton fabrics in the cab of a steam locomotive makes quite a bit of sense for this reason, particularly back in an age where things like Nomex didn't exist. And to be fair, Nomex doesn't make you invulnerable to fire; it just gives you a few extra seconds to escape.

This was great! I loved that you finally got Lawrie into one of your videos! My girlfriend is a big sewing and clothes person like Hayley as well, so I can't wait to show her this video!

Hayley deserves mad props for her presentation on this subject, with Lawrie from across the Pond. (This presentation definitely gives credence to my Wrangler chambray work shirts as a daily uniform. 🤣)

I was a brakeman, switch man, and switch yard foreman. The bib-overalls were great with all the pockets they had. I had a pocket for a switch list, train orders in and a loop to put my switch keys on. I also had a pocket to put my watch in. They were great things to wear at work. Also, when I was off work they were good to wear when I helped my father in law on the farm.

such a small thing having such a large history is so interesting to learn

I have been waiting for this episode for a year and a month and a few days and I am not disappointed, not even close. This is awesome, informative and I am likely going to be watching this at least 20 times.

Now I'm unreasonably afraid of what all my clothes are made of, lol. Anyway, another great video as usual, and it's cool to see some new and familiar faces! Also, close to 100k!

What a great video! I loved the collab to explore facets of railroad history and culture that you generally don't think about. While it may seem silly to passengers, almost every aspect of railroad culture is a product of hundreds of years of conscious and continual iteration and improvement. As a side note, chemists are also taught to avoid synthetic fibers while working in the lab. In addition to heat, there are also a variety of common reagents, including sulfuric acid, that cause plastic fabrics to melt. Basically, all these fabrics started out as sticky goos, so all the heat and chemicals are doing is just causing the reactions that created the fibers to run in reverse. Once again, thanks for the great video, and keep up the good work!

Up until about 1940 an engine crew in Sweden used to wear an uniform similar to that of the uniform worn by our conductors and station masters.

OMG, Mark this deep dive into the origins of industrial costume with guest historian Hayley Enoch was absolutely fabulous! I learned so much from you both, Mark highlighting the cultural context for us and Hayley discussing the how and why of railroad uniforms. Hayley’s discussion about why we wear cotton, was excellent and I especially liked the burn demonstration of cotton versus polyester. Really liked her point about why bibs are loose fitting; now I have an answer for friends who ask me about this. Industrial clothing history is rather a neglected topic (as my costume curatorial colleagues tell me when I ask many questions about this); Hayley you provided the answers to those unanswered questions. To sum up, first-rate research! I’m definitely recommending this fab episode to my costume historian colleagues who will so appreciate it. Finally Mark, showing the British side was a great touch! Many, many thanks for creating this ultra-excellent video Mark, and a shout out to Hayley, many grateful thanks for being a guest and sharing with us your expert knowledge. Professor, these 101 tutorial videos just get better and better, It’s always an enjoyable learning experience. Cheers to you both!!! 🎉

A wonderful video! Was so cool to learn the history and different aspects of the outfits! Thanks to Hyce and Haley for railroad clothing 101 and do hope that more videos like this are to come!

Great video! I guessed the very basics for the engineer outfit (practical, hardwearing clothing for a physical and dirty job), but you guys laid it all out so well. Thanks to Hyce for bringing this video to us, and thanks to Hayley for having the perfect intersection of knowledge and interests for this one! (And very fun to finally see Lawrie popping up for a cameo here, I was watching one of his videos just this morning.)

This video is incredibly well put together! Was a pretty fun watch!

Most of us who wear demin or dungarees don't consider that there is a portion of polyster in the fabric. It provides wrinkle resistance, stretchability, and stylish fit--and an increased hazard in terms of fire safety. The same is true for bandanas.

Always excited for the railroading 101 series cant wait to see more and learn

23:10 Jeff realizes there's something going on and decides to dip 😂

Need more Haley and History along with you Hyce.

I heard the engineer caps / hats referred to as oiler's caps as well. They also work well to hold water from a water stop to dump over your head on a 100 degree (outside) day. And bandanas I found work very well to keep the hot sparks getting down my shirt by layering it over the collar against my neck and down over the back of my bib overalls. Overalls are also the ideal clothing as it has so many pockets and the topmost pockets in the bib part hold my wallet and phone so I don't sit on them or get them wet as you tend to get splashed in a locomotive from about the waist down. Also handy for pulling out your wallet when stopped going 35 in a 25 zone in Golden than having to reach into my back pocket. The back pocket is for the oily rags anyway. 🙂

This one was particularly interesting, I already knew alot of it but always good to get more detailed information. More collabs like this, please!

Another uk youtuber "Anthony Dawson" is currently doing thorough research into railway uniforms, not just what they look like or the material but where they were made, how long they last and how they were re used

All we know is is he's not the Hyce but the Hyce's English cousin. Yep still got my hickory stripe cap,bibs and bandana from my model railroad club days and our traveling layout. Osh Kosh IIRC. A lot of the club members would just do " civilian " clothing but I liked to play it up for the guests coming to the train shows. To go off a variant of Alton Brown's melted sugar is culinary napalm polyester is wearable napalm.

This was a very fun and educational video on clothing on the railroad! The mention of wearing cotton due to being more fire-resistant made me think back of when I used to work in kitchens donning the classic chef's coat and pants. Those are also made of cotton, for the exact same reasons of being more resistant to flames, and also providing some amount of cooling, as kitchens can get very hot with all the ovens, grilles, and stoves that are used. Going into the freezer with these on however, was not fun. Now I work in HVAC and for the most part, we wear cotton as well to help keep us cool and comfortable when working outside, but also giving us protection for skin from the various refrigerants and chemicals that you don't really want to get in contact with.

Fantastic work! What a surprise finally seeing a crossover with Lawrie!

What an awesome and informative video! I love your humorous banter. And I'm so happy you're doing what you love while preserving this equipment and traditions for the future. Hyce, you ARE a rock star! ❤

This was fantastic! I really enjoyed the historical background on the "uniform". Nice touch at the end with the perspective from over the pond.

Very fascinating! I'm a bit of a clotheshorse, and understanding why people wore the clothes that they did makes me feel closer to the past. I recently discovered your channel, and am enjoying your content! Thanks for all the great information!

This is so incredibly informative and helpful. I will be sure to incorporate a lot of my newfound knowledge into my writings, as they'll add a lot more personality. I also hope we see Hailey again, it'd be cool if you two could do a video or two on the history of Women on the railroads, particularly during WW2.

I didn’t watch the whole video but I can tell you exactly why a lot of guys wear bib overalls when working: so you don’t have to hitch your trousers up every time you lean over or kneel down! That’s huge!

Great video Mark & Haley - learned a lot!

This was honestly a brilliant video. Having someone else to sort of host really worked well!

Definitely need more of this. Afterall, when you get down to it, it's a history museum.

Definitely an interesting topic. I’m definitely thinking besides passenger service the whole uniform thing dropped off. My dad worked for L&N/Seaboard/CSX and the only “uniform” requirements I ever saw was the safety vest, long pants, and steal toe boots.

Larose hat Co Is definitely a amazing person. I have a few of his hats and I love every single one of them.

Always wanted to know this stuff! Was hoping you would get to it! Thanks! It was great Hyce! Cheers 🍻 & be safe out there!

The collab we've all been waiting for, Lawrie and Mark in a train video! Now we need to get you guys together in person. My excitement aside, this video was cool. Good job once again, as with all of your 101 videos.

German here. On passenger trains, our crews mostly wear outfits like your conducters' uniform, while everyone who enters the track area wears neon orange overalls with reflective stripes^^

I swear mark you never fail to deliver on the questions I’ve always wondered about

Awesome edition to the Railroading 101! I got a great smile seeing LMM in this video.

Great content. Thank you for all that hard work and, of course, the info.

Hyce - this is the kind of unique history that I love - and the reason you are awesome!!!

Fascinating! I love this kind of detailed and deep historical exposition. Thank you, Hayley; thank you, Hyce.

Combining my two loves of railroading and textiles & clothing history, my favorite video of yours yet! This was absolutely fascinating!

What an awesome, informative video. Great collaboration. Keep up the great work both of you.

I definitely learned a lot from this video. I appreciate everyone who put their time and effort into it, to share their knowledge. I learn something everytime I watch one of your videos. Always great content.

This was awesome! I would like to see more like this in the future! It’s cool to see there is someone out there making historical and accurate railroader hats and gear! Knowing someone who does something similar with Civil War hats I can appreciate that.

Enjoyed this video. Thanks to both of you. Very interesting, educational, and fun. And I’m glad to see you let your hair out! Keep the content coming.

That was absolutely delightful. Thank you to Hayley for the enlightenment!

Absolutely love these videos...Keep em coming.

I started out on the "RAILROAD" at kings island back in 1999( later that summer, I moved over to the electric shop as a rides electrician), and they are real steam engines( 2 of them) fired by propane. what your are saying about the dress of the fireman/ engineer is 100 % correct. the cab of the locomotive is a very hot place to be on a hot day!!!!. it does not take much to get a nasty burn, being that all of the piping/ valves are very hot, unless it is an air line, or water injector line feeding the boiler. everything is run by steam, the air compressor, the turbine that runs the generator, the water injector pump( when not in motion), the oil feeder. great job!!!! , I am glad that you brought this to light!!!!!!. the thing about polyester is that "IT WILL MELT INTO YOUR SKIN", and the emergency room / burn unit has to pick that off of you, a very painful proposition, but it has to be done, or infection will set in.

my fav vid of yours so far!!! loooove the history :)

ONG this is the best video! Haley is incredible! More Haley! Learned so so so much & also verified why I always wear 100% cotton on airplanes

Very interesting, and I'm glad you got some good resources to fill out all the information.

Great video and thank you all for the hard work!

Brilliant episode! Most interesting railroad video I’ve seen all year!

That was a fun one Hyce. Thank you Hayley. Very informative. And shout out to your friend across the pond.

Awesome job!!! Loved the whole thing.

That was AWESOME! Thanks for the insights on apparel!

Loved this! Definitely do more content like this! All the content is awesome!

EXCELLENT video explaining why railroad workers wear what they wear! Looking at industrial photos from the late 19th- mid 20th century, it's easy to see workers dressed pretty much the same way. I work on an excursion railroad, and my 'bibs' have saved me from injury on more then one occasion! Locomotive s on the move tend to throw a body around, and everything in the cab is hot!! Thanks for sharing!!

A great video Hyce! I love the way you make those and in this one you managed to combine the relation between man and machine and its influence on society even, as we do recognize a rail road man or woman as such. Being from the Netherlands the 'fashion' follows the Brits more than the Americans except for the head wear. During history train personnel, specially the 'meester' (driver) and 'stoker' (fireman), had caps very much like the soldiers during the American civil war, so you have been a fashion influencer of a kind. Then the caps style took fashion from the French, and looked for many years more like the Kepi French police and military used. The rest was more like the UK outfit. With time and the change from steam to diesel and electric the need for those heavy outfits changed and a more formal uniform was used. Today we moved a bit away from uniforms showing rank and status. the outfits are more casual, yet recognizable as rail road personnel. being train driver or conductor almost become a 'desk job' compared to the old days of steam. The only constant is change, also in rail road clothing, but I do miss those kepis.

this answered so many questions i didnt know how to even start to ask. thank you

great video hyce! interesting and informative, you and hayley are very knowledgeable.

If you ever come to Wisconsin, go to Green Bay. There’s a railroad museum there that has nice info about both that and what the MOW was like (they also have a big boy)

So cool, this was very educational.. thanks for sharing, keep it up

Fantastic. Well done!

Thank you for a great video. I learned a lot about clothes that I never knew. That is some unique history.

Really enjoyed this video. It was a very good bit of railroad history.

New Zealand Railways inherited the British traditions with a small twist - cab crews initially wore white shirts and black neckwear under the denim bibs and overcoat like Lawrie with a woolen cap - drivers even wore starched collars. This slowly changed between the 20's-40's to black shirts with white ties for both drivers and firemen (looked more presentable apparently when heading the royal trains), although some really old school drivers would still get laundered white shirts and stiff collars right through to the early 50's. Guards and station staff wore cheesecutter caps with gold and/or oakleaf braid for certain roles or seniority, and a wide range of coats cut to the style of the day, again with braid at the cuffs denoting seniority. Senior stationmasters at the main centres, likely only Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, all wore long frock coats with braid and silk top hats when dismissing the principal expresses - again right up to the late 50's.

I thought the history around army clothing influencing the attire of railroad employees was particularly interesting. I work in the rail industry and have described it as similar to a military career without the guns and exercise. Lol I work passenger service and we are basically a small army and dress in clothes that takes influence from modern military/police attire. I have been addressed as "officer" a few times by passengers before. Funny how the history lives on in the present and you can see how things evolved and why. Great video.

Great video thank you Happy Turkey Day to you and the whole Crew

This was AWESOME! Thanks team

Very nice video! Thanks!

Almost 100k bro! I love your videos, I hope I can come up to the Colorado railroad museum to meet you! Greetings from Southern California

What a treat to feature Hayley! Thanks for another great video Hyce!

Very well done! More, please.

I’m second that endorsement for LaRose hats. I’ve got one and love it. Looks great and very high quality. It’ll last me many years.

hay hyce, i love video's like this, please keep em going, thank you for making these video's

Very not fun fact. Polyester and other synthetic fabrics melt into your skin, so you'd have to have it surgically separated if it burns you

Very informational. Thank you for the video! Also, I think I'm in love.

Well done and very informative.

Very interesting information, THANKS!

This is your best video yet. 10/10

Wonderful video, nicely done!

Fantastic video. I would love to see dedicated videos to different aspects of railroading history, particularly the customs, formalities, and other business structures now that we've seen the dress code.