Historical Portrait

[Group portrait of Southern Pacific Railroad Sacramento Shops employees: pipers and steamfitters]

1899·Source: internet_archive·View original ↗·Public Domain

Free to use. Public domain. No account needed.

Archive record

Group portrait of pipers and steamfitters at Southern Pacific Railroad Sacramento Shops, 1899. Public-domain historical photograph from California archive.

About this photograph

The Southern Pacific Railroad maintained major repair and manufacturing facilities in Sacramento known as the Sacramento Shops. This photograph documents a group of pipers and steamfitters who worked there in 1899.

Pipers installed and maintained the network of pipes that carried steam, water, and compressed air throughout the sprawling industrial complex. Steamfitters worked specifically with the high-pressure steam systems that powered machinery and locomotives. Both trades required skilled workers who could cut, thread, and fit pipes precisely, as well as repair leaks and maintain pressure systems critical to the shops' operations.

The photographer who made this record remains unknown. The photograph comes from the California State Railroad Museum and was digitised through California Revealed, a statewide programme that makes material from California libraries, archives, museums and historical societies publicly available.

Compiled from the catalogue record and reference notes on the formats and events involved. The archive record above is the primary source.

Rights & Attribution

Credit: Internet Archive

Rights: Copyrighted. Rights are owned by California State Railroad Museum. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Reuse: Public domain. Free to download, print, edit and republish, commercially or otherwise. How rights work in this archive.

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