Looks like this is on the approach to a hump yard. Photo details are thin but say 1935 New York. I may need to model this.
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Goodness, I was expecting electronics, not wetware! Forgot that at one time even the car retarders were controlled by a human. Really neat photo.
Best, David Meashey
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The guy in the photo looks a bit shell shocked. He would be having car after car rumble over him.
I wonder how he knew what car had a problem? If 10 roll over him would he log that the 4th had a squeaky journal or a wobbly axle? How would he identify the car?
That would be a neat feature to model. I wonder if it has ever been done in any scale?
Examining the picture, it looks like a concrete pit, spotlights on both sides. Metal cover, slightly angled, probably in both directions. A ladder to get down? Maybe there’s a phone? The pieces in the opening look like glass? Some kind of deflector?
Todd;
At the hump yard in Bellevue, OH. there were hump lists for the cars being sorted. That was 1978 and done by computer. But I suppose hump lists were typed up by yard clerks prior to those times. The defect detector probably had a typed hump list to refer to as the cars rolled over him. (Just another reason why being able to read and write is so important!)
Best, David Meashey
Bob;
In that photo, there appears to be a set of concrete steps going down to the pit.
Regards, David Meashey
A bit more digging. This MR thread says it was in Altoona yards
https://forum.trains.com/t/would-the-prr-have-had-defect-detectors-in-1953/320320/5
Now that makes sense Bob. If the guy in the pit noticed something wrong he would push a button and give the car a quick squirt of white wash to identify it. That is clever.
That must have been a tough job sitting in the box and having cars roll over you. The photo was from 1935 and in several years I foresee that guy being a natural for the ball turret under a B24.
Is this where they got the term Hot Box? Maybe where they got the idea for a torture routine. Throw him in solitaire and let him bake for a few days.
Can you imagine an 8 hour shift on a 110 degree day in that thing? Not to upset the post but I looked hard at the pic and think someone molested it by placing the box, man, and lights in a plainy ard pic, just for the hell of it. 
Searched on line for more info and even wiki only talked about a defect detector made of a few loops of metal even covered with rubber to detect loose gear or parts. But no man holes between the rails. Can you imagine the damage done if something was hanging from a train? He’d be no good for hot boxes as they smoke on the outside of the wheel. hanging air hoses would drive you crazy if you survived the heat. Ah, but I did get a good chuckle out of the pick. 
It would be a really rough duty day if the “defect” was a hose or pipe or whatever hanging below axle level.
The dude does indeed look to be anxious… I’ll bet the crates on either side of him are marked “Depends.”
Nice photo, Bob.
Are you sure ?
Only asking ?
http://www.altoonaworks.info/pics/towers.html
Let’s look at the background images as well …just saying and I’m only a 
When my father was in high school in the city, there was a hump yard a block away from his house. He would walk along it on the way home, maybe 6 or 7 blocks. He wasn’t the first, but he saw other kids doing it. As the yard engine pushed a car over the hump, they would jump on the ladder and ride it down. Brakeman on each car, hollering at them the whole way. They would jump off before the car stopped, brakeman needed to finish the ride, couldn’t chase them.
They finally put up a fence. Sure would make a quick trip home for those kids doing it.
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Well I did a bit of digging on this myself this morning and I came up with some useful info I believe. The picture appears to be Juniata Scales - Car Inspection Pit No. 64. If you care to do more digging yourself.
I also found this article to help decide placement if you want to model it.
Eric_Mueller You might want to let Kid-Zilla scroll down the page this takes you too
I stumbled upon the other freebies here:
Model it in febuary …