No this wasn't the main job in Eau Claire in 1900. The railroad arrived in Eau Claire in 1856. People who worked on railroads are called railroaders. Some jobs on trains were conductors and tenders, people who fed coal to the fire to make the train go.

The railroad was really popular in 1880. Many things were added to make the railroads in Eau Claire better. A bridge was made in 1881 which cost $50,000. The railroaders at the time went on strike because they were not getting paid fairly. They were being paid $1.50 a day. They wanted to be paid $1.75 a day. This strike happened in April in the year of 1870.
 

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Sources: The River Flows On, By Lois Barland, Worzalla Publishing, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, 1965

This is a picture of a train that is hauling lumber.
Photo credit: Chippewa VAlley Museum