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The blog post, “Typewriting on the Railroad” explores the historical significance of typewriters and their impact on the railroad industry. It begins by explaining how common terms like “shift,” “backspace,” and “return” originated from typewriter mechanisms, which may be unfamiliar to those who learned typing on computer keyboards.
The article highlights the commercial success of typewriters in the 1880s, coinciding with the standardization of the QWERTY layout. Different typewriter models were marketed to various professions, with compact designs aimed at journalists and travelers, while wide-carriage typewriters were favored by commercial and government offices, including railroads. The durability of typewriters was often emphasized in marketing, with manufacturers like Oliver showcasing their use in railroad offices.
The post discusses how railroads embraced typewriters for various tasks, such as updating dining car menus and tracking shipments. It mentions that railroads carried typewriters on passenger and freight trains to facilitate these tasks. The fire story involving two lawyers rescuing their typewriters illustrates the machine’s importance in the early 1900s.
Typewriter manufacturers actively marketed their products to railroads, displaying them at conventions. By 1919, some railroad office workers were expected to provide their own typewriters, leading to a dispute that was eventually resolved by the United States Railway Administration, which mandated that railroads furnish typewriters if they required their employees to use them.
To save costs, railroads began performing typewriter maintenance in-house, providing employees with instructions and tools for repairs. The blog concludes by promoting a typewriter meet-up at the Southeastern Railway Museum, where visitors can interact with antique typewriters, learn about their history, and even type their own railroad-themed documents.
