Santa Fe Brakeman Jack Torbet is seen gazing through the window of the caboose as it is pulling out of Waynoka, Oklahoma. It looks like there will be no hot meal while underway since he’s brought his lunchbox and Thermos bottle along.

Note the battery powered brakeman’s lamp sitting on the table. Electric lamps had been available for some time, but didn’t really “catch on” until the 40s. Most of the lamps we’ve seen in this Delano series have been kerosene.

Photograph by Jack Delano, March of 1943.