This is how railway work was done in the past. The work was led by the platelayer master (3 stripes on the sleeve), the platelayer foreman (2 stripes), and the platelayer assistant (1 stripe.

The tools were few. Transport was done using a push trolley or handcar. Most of the work was done by hand. Here, we see several different work tasks. One team is carrying a rail, others are shifting the track—moving it sideways—while others are packing gravel under the sleepers with shovels.

The figures in the sculpture are made of rail spikes. The sculpture was created by Nils Sellgren from Alvesta and donated to the museum in 1997.