A handcar is a small railroad cart that moves along train tracks when people pump a large handle up and down. You might have seen one in old cartoons or movies: two people stand on opposite sides of a metal bar and push it down in turns, like a seesaw, and this pumping motion turns the wheels and sends the cart rolling down the tracks.

Before trains had radios and trucks, railroad workers used handcars to travel along remote sections of track to inspect them for damage, deliver tools and supplies, or reach places where repair work was needed. The handcar gave them a way to cover long distances without walking for miles while carrying heavy equipment.

Handcars required real teamwork and stamina. The workers had to coordinate their pumping rhythm to keep moving smoothly, and on a long journey, their arms and backs would ache by the end. If they spotted a locomotive coming, they'd have to quickly lift the handcar off the tracks to let the train pass.

Today, handcars have mostly been replaced by motorized vehicles that can drive on roads or special trucks that run on rails. But you can still see antique handcars in railroad museums or at rail parks, where visitors can try pumping one themselves and discover just how much work it took.