I have to confess that this photograph surprised me. I had thought that the asbestos insulation applied to a steam locomotive boiler was in the form of blocks, similar to bricks. Perhaps that is one of the ways it was done, but this view shows the worker lathering on the asbestos mix like shaving cream. I wonder if this is just a coating over the blocks to fill in the joints and seal it all in?

Jack Delano captured this view at the Chicago and North Western’s 40th Street locomotive shops near Chicago. The date is December of 1942.

I imagine the lawyers and OSHA would have a field day if this procedure was handled this way nowadays! I’d hate to be the worker who has to clean all the dried up mixture off of the handrails and other appurtenances.