I'm looking at what's available at the 3rd rail site. I see a tender with the dog house. I've always wondered what's their purpose? Did they actually house a person for a trip? Was it just a temporary look out while servicing? Of course, I'm just guessing....again.
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It's for when the fireman was bad...
The doghouse was usually for a head end brakeman when there wasn't room in the cab. He could also look back over the train. Not exactly luxury accommodations, the ride can be pretty rough up there.
I once rode in 1630's doghouse for a trip at IRM. A cramped metal box with windows and a seat. You feel ever bounce and jolt because you're way above the center of gravity. Fun from a railfoaming point of view on a nice day, but must've been pretty nasty at night or in bad weather.
Rusty
It's for when the fireman was bad...
The doghouse was usually for a head end brakeman when there wasn't room in the cab. He could also look back over the train. Not exactly luxury accommodations, the ride can be pretty rough up there.
Rusty
It was for the head brakeman. N&W (and I assume most other railroads that used them) had a foot warmer in them for cold weather; steam from the locomotive was provided. The brakeman could look over both sides of the train from there; it was also easy for him to get to the tender manhole to check the water if the gauge wasn't working, or if the water was too low in the tender to register in the gauge.
Southern started using doghouses to keep brakemen from having to climb over the coal pile at night to get to the cab of stoker equipped engines, to avoid possible contact with the stoker screw in the dark.
Railroads which had room for large cabs with seats for the head brakeman usually didn't use doghouses. B&O put an extension on the fireman's side of many cabs to make room for a brakeman's seat; Clinchfield made a room in the water leg of some tenders (you can see photos of Clinchfield tenders with a window in the front end) for use of the brakeman.
EdKing
Great stuff, Thank you!
It's for when the fireman was bad...
I once rode in 1630's doghouse for a trip at IRM. A cramped metal box with windows and a seat. You feel ever bounce and jolt because you're way above the center of gravity. Fun from a railfoaming point of view on a nice day, but must've been pretty nasty at night or in bad weather.
Rusty
Here's a photo scan I took from the 1990's, showing 1630's doghouse. I don't think it would make for a comfy ride!
It's for when the fireman was bad...
I once rode in 1630's doghouse for a trip at IRM. A cramped metal box with windows and a seat. You feel ever bounce and jolt because you're way above the center of gravity. Fun from a railfoaming point of view on a nice day, but must've been pretty nasty at night or in bad weather.
Rusty
Here's a photo scan I took from the 1990's, showing 1630's doghouse. I don't think it would make for a comfy ride!
You were expecting maybe a fold-down bunk or a reclining seat? Those trucks under 1630's tender might not be expected to ride as well as the 6-wheel trucks under N&W tenders, but in some cases the doghouses might have ridden better than the engine cabs .
EdKing
Here's the view from 1630's doghouse looking forward:
Rusty
Think the Pennsylvania Railroad went to the use of the Doghouse because of the law, employees could not ride in a cabin car with helper engines pushing on it. The newer PRR dog houses were designed for an occupancy of three.
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