Reclaiming the Railroad Train-Related Use of The Word 'Hump"

Definitions Matter. Context Matters. I Visit Milwaukee Public Library's Humanities For a Little Education.

Ever since I printed this letterpress poster at the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, during a workshop. Our fearless leader Jim Moran told us that ‘hump’ back in the day had something to do with railroad freight cars. I was fascinated and ever since I’ve wanted to go back to Jim to learn more, but he’s since retired to tend to his garden and chase off rabbits nibbling on his lettuce. Naturally, my fellow students gravitated to this block, eager to exploit and make the most of the current meaning of ‘hump.’ I was sickened to hear them snicker and giggle while they made their prints with this block, while I brainstormed how I could make it train-related.

I didn't finish the poster that Saturday, but I was determined to do so, one day.

So this past weekend, during a volunteer recognition day, I finally had a chance to finish this poster, started in 2023. It was glorious. I printed five posters, some better than others. The one you see at the bottom of this post is the best one.

As a conservative printer in a world populated by liberals, I often feel afraid a bit shy. I certainly felt that way during the workshop. I most definitely felt that way at the 2023 Wayzgoose, surrounded by printers who take pride in their iterations of “Black Lives Matters,” “Keep Your Hands Off my Body,” and “Never Again,” while I’m printing posters like “Clarence Thomas: No Quotas,” “I’m Here from the Government, I’m here to help,” and now, “Please handle Carefully/ DO NOT HUMP/Property of Wisconsin Central Railroad.” What place is there for me in a world that has revered Biden, Harris and Nancy Pelosi? What place is there for me in front of a Vandercook printing press when I voted from Trump thrice? What place is there for me as a Catholic who attends Sunday Mass 52 times a year and regular confession? I’m an oddball, no doubt.

But therein lies the opportunity to be different, to educate, to draw others to the light. Therein is the chance to reclaim the sacred. Therein is the mustard seed to show other writers and creatives who might fear sharing their faith in their art, whether it’s books, posters, paintings or poetry. I must be the visionary I was meant to be the day I was born. So here I am, broken ears and all. So here I am with my sins and failings. So here I am with my ideas, my dreams, my books and articles. I come to do good will, wherever I go. I hope I don’t get my head chopped off, buried alive, shot because I share my faith in my work. But that’s the work of saints.

So I imagine there are saints who visit libraries. So I today I went to the Milwaukee Public Library, a bastion of liberalism here in the conservative state of Wisconsin. They know me as a conservative. I was nearly escorted off the premises by the Milwaukee police during the height of COVID when I didn’t have my face mask over my nose properly. I’ve requested a subscription of The Epoch Times, a conservative weekly newspaper, a request that I need to follow up on soon, and maybe an opinions piece in the Milwaukee Journal, the midwest liberal arm of USA Today.

At the library, I went to the Humanities Room, probably the one room in the historic building that’s not overtaken by the homeless and the smell of urine. It’s the one place that’s quiet and not overtaken by computer monitors. It’s the one place where there’s a letterpress poster “Re-elect Frank P. ZEIDLER MAYOR” in wood type the size of a small window. It’s the one place where writers/researchers are actually doing work.

It’s also the room where you can go to learn about just about anything related to railroads, particularly the Milwaukee Road. So I asked the librarian on duty for help in shedding more light on the word ‘hump’ as it relates to railroads.

The librarian sent me to the general reference room where I found “The railway dictionary: a A-Z of railway way terminology.” I don’t see a reference there for the verb “hump” but I do see “humping the bricks/coals,” a colloquialism for working a brick/coal, etc. train. I’m entirely sure what “Please handle Carefully DO NOT HUMP” means. So railfans, if you can further shed a rail lantern’s light on this expression, I’m all ears.

Letterpress fans, I’m guessing that the “DO NOT HUMP” letterpress block dates to the 1950s, if the italic typeface is any indication. This particular block, if I remember correctly, what looked like a metal die cut mounted onto a wood base. Perhaps the block was used to print banners to hang/paste on freight cars at appropriate spots. Railfans, you’ll know more.

I do love how polite this poster is. How often do you even see the word ‘please’ used in advertising? Not often.

Now the “Property…Wisconsin Central Railroad’ is my addition to the poster. I wanted to put the “DO NOT HUMP” words. And I even threw in a small state of Wisconsin letterpress block for good measure.

I’ll probably give one poster to the Illinois Railway Museum, another to the museum in East Troy, Wisconsin and the Fox River Trolley Museum for display in their exhibits or simply for reference and education.

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Printed at the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin using a combination of inks, blocks and wood type. I especially love using the rough cut grain side of wood type.