In the second verse, "teepee" is a tarp, for shade from the hot Mobile sun, The foreman is not around and the crew is tired after a long day. they're sitting "in the teepee" smoking and gambling by rolling dice. The breakman shouts that a train is coming on the track and is only a few minutes from coming through their teepee. In the third verse They scramble to "get the line," aka "clear the track" of hammers, spikes and everything else including the teepee. A web-search for "teepee" as railroad crew slang came up empty.
In the second verse, "teepee" is a tarp, for shade from the hot Mobile sun, The foreman is not around and the crew is tired after a long day. they're sitting "in the teepee" smoking and gambling by rolling dice. The breakman shouts that a train is coming on the track and is only a few minutes from coming through their teepee. In the third verse They scramble to "get the line," aka "clear the track" of hammers, spikes and everything else including the teepee. A web-search for "teepee" as railroad crew slang came up empty.