Tender Doghouse

nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org
Sat Sep 30 16:21:09 EDT 2006


My Granfather was a fireman, based out of Portsmouth in the late 40's and was regularly assigned to A's headed for Portsmouth. One of the very few things that I recall us discussing regarding the N&W (it was well before I was so interested in trains) was the pupose of the doghouse. I don't know if we discussed what they called them, but he said that it was an absolute must that someone be riding in the doghouse whenever you went past a station or tower or the brakeman would be reported to officials as not doing his job. He said it was pretty common that he would end up in the doghouse, while the brakeman fired the engine.

I don't know if they walked over the coal, or switched when the train was stopped.

He also talked about stopping for water at Circleville and sweeping coal into the stoker screws as they approached Columbus on some trips.

He died about 5 years ago, and before that when we did talk trains, he often couldn't remember specifics because it was 50 years ago, at that point. He moved to Lorain, and worked for the Lake Terminal Railroad around 1950 until he retired around 1980.

Mike Rector


>It is where the head brakeman rode when he was not otherwise performing

>duties. Jim Nichols



>nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org wrote:




> How was the doghouse on the tenders actually used? Was someone in



> there on the entire trip or only at stops to re-fuel?



> Thanks,



> Tony Burgess



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