Featured What Occupation in this tintype?

I acquired this tintype a few weeks ago, as is.

Originally I thought they were miners due to where they were standing but upon closer inspection and after posting somewhere else it was decided they were not.

They are holding some carpentry tools and possibly some blacksmithing tools?

What is the man in the middle holding?
What do yall think is going on in the picture(building of a railroad, mine, etc)?

The first picture is without any touch ups, the second one is brightened.

 

I think something to do with carpentry too - a saw and T-square, a plane and a couple mallets. Whatever the seated man is holding is very strange, though. Maybe cabinet makers?

 

Could the seated guy be holding a buggy whip?

 

The fellow in the center may be holding a coach whip, which might mean they are wagon / coach makers. Such work would involve both woodworking and blacksmithing for the fittings and wheels. There also appear to be rails leading into the building, which may have some significance.

 

Interesting.

I dont know about a biggy whip.
Every one I have seen has only one tail.
It also looks to be a little thick at the top to give it that quick snap back, but Im not an expert on buggy whips

 

The whip (if that is what it is) looks like it has multiple strands, but it may have just been moving during the photo. The exposure was so long that it would appear as a multiple exposure.

 

Some whips for comparison:

http://antiquaprintgallery.com/ekmp...-1832.-from-a-print-by-h.-alken.-188570-p.jpg


https://www.gravelroots.net/history/storebrighton/216_927690.jpg

 

Good old Henry Alken!

 

Guy with the square also has a rip saw. Not sure I see any blacksmithing tools. There are 2 very long-handled tools, although we can only see the head on one, the mallet, which looks pretty lightweight, not like something a railroad worker would use.

 

And on what (and also why) is that fellow to the right standing?

Very puzzling photo.

 

Fellow with the mallet...maybe a spot of croquet an lunchtime?

 

The three on the right are wearing aprons, so they might have been working with heat.
Coopers? Wheel wrights?

 

I was reading the long handled tools as sledge hammers, but they could be wooden mallets. Can't really tell what the heads are made of. Plenty of uses for either in carriage making, I imagine.

 

And what's up with the flat top hats.

 

Both figures with long handled tools, the one we know is a mallet, seem to be shouldering them in such a relaxed way, & were able to stay still for the long exposure time, I have to think at least the one we can see has a wooden head.

 

Looks like man on the left may be shouldering a pickaxe or a spike driver - three gentlemen with aprons suggest smithees.

 

The hammer resembles a tack hammer:

 

Don't know that it's correct, but I'm partial to the idea of wheelwrights, making the guy with the whip the test driver.

Those wooden rails look like they were for sliding something heavy into the shop.

 

At least some of the objects do look like carpentry tools.

The long curved thing looks like it has irregular sides. Could it be bamboo that's being curved to make a chair or other piece of furniture?