Slip Scraper

Property owned by the Finley family, the great-grandparents of Andy Williams, was sold to the railroad to create a lot for the depot. Because the depot needed to stand at the same level as the existing tracks, the embankment was lowered with a slip scraper. The scale of the work can be understood by comparing the size of the embankment with the size of the slip scraper bowl. Though the operator's name is unknown, he walked behind the slip scraper as horses or mules pulled it forward. By lifting the handles slightly, he forced the cutting edge into the dirt and filled the scraper bowl, then held the handles down while dragging the loaded scraper to a dump site. There he lifted the handles high so the cutting edge dug firmly into the ground, causing the slip scraper to flip forward and eject its contents.

Wall Lake, Iowa · United States