L to R John Gilbert, Emmett Dunlap, Ross Murray & Junior Wilson
These guys are loading railroad ties. The man with the pad on his shoulder was Ross Murray. These guys would put the railroad ties up on their shoulders and load them into the box car. That's my grandpa Junior Wilson on the right. Grandpa told me that sometime he would show off his strength by carrying a tie on each shoulder.
These railroad ties are 8 1/2 feet long, 9 inches wide and 7 inches thick. They weigh around 200 pounds each.
The photo is from the 1940's.