Dog houses

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,
Or the smallest room on the train!! I'm putting a dog house onto a tender and these are something that we have never had in this country, so a few questions.
Where they for use at any time or only when the train was at a stop?
Did they discharge into the water tank or over the side by pipe?
Did they have a water flush?
If none of the above where they chemical?
I take it the crew kept them clean, the fireman? or where they a place to avoid like the plague?
Was the inside of all steel construction, I take it the seat was wood, or was there some porcelain around?
Anything you tell me will be new information and appreciated because I do want to put internal fittings in this and even a crew man using it!!
Cheers,
Kim

[Anonymous]

I don't know about mainline or branchline trains, but this is the kind of thing that was used my mining and industrail operations. Not alot of privacy there! lol

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that Charles, I've seen these before and I wouldn't like the job of emptying it!!
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[tangerine-jack]

That depends on the amount of money the RR wanted to put into it. I've seen some that was a hole in the floor of a boxcar, the discharge was to the outside. Some were chemical, some were very nice...etc etc etc. Truth is, build what you want and then justify it, that's what the real roads did.

[oX)]

[vsmith]

Kim if were talking about the same thing here, a doghouse on the tender was simply a shed enclosure that allows the brakeman a place to rest while the train was in motion, no flushes or discharges or anything like that, there were no such facilities ever like that on engines or tenders till the advent of the diesel engines were a small toilet could be provided in the front hood areas of the units. Doghouses were added because a loco cab get very crowded with a fireman an engineer AND a brakeman all trying to find a place to sit. In narrow gauge engines cabs were cramped, even a K is a tight space, and there were inveriably only two seats, often straddling the boiler, leaving the brakeman standing on the footplate, not good in rain or snow. So they added these sheds on the backs of the tenders to give him a dry place to sit, it could have steam heating, and he could keep a thermos of coffee warm. The way a doghouse was used was that one brakeman would be stationed there, another in the caboose, when the engineer whistled for a brake action, they would then work from both the front and rear, meet in the middle then return to their rest areas.

[tangerine-jack]

I like the toilet explaination better....................... I'm sure the doghouse was used in an emergency[:-,]











[oX)]

[Tom The Brat]

As I understand, you just went on the coal, then shoveled it into the fire.

We were riding a train when I was pretty little. Dad came back from the little room in the back corner and said, "Go look down the potty."

It was a rather dizzying experience. I could see the ties and ballast going by under the train. I don't remember where we were going or what train it was.

[van buren s l]

Vic has it right. Dog houses were used almost exclusively on main line railroads. The purpose of the dog house was to give a head end brakeman a sheltered vantage place to keep an eye on the train. If he had to go potty he did it in conjunction with his switching duties, when he was on the ground.
Bob

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this guys, I always thought it was a loo!! Another illusion shattered! So I take it I would be correct in saying that the dog house would have a rear facing window to allow the brakeman a view of the train, would the door be rear facing with the window in it or was this something that varied from road to road?
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[vsmith]

All the doghouses I've seen had rear facing doors with small windows on each side, on larger standard gauge engines they were often built right up againt the rear bulkhead of the coal bunker, musta made for a dirty space to be in. Oil burners likely had front facing windows as well but the seat always faced tihe rear so the brakeman could watch over the train.

[tangerine-jack]

I still like the potty idea better.....................

Kim, if you want to make it a loo, then go right ahead! Just make sure there are no cheesy Dr. Who style monsters hiding in the hopper![8][:O]



[oX)]

[Anonymous]

Cheers guys, I now know a lot more about dog houses than I did a couple of days ago! T-Jack - you mean those monsters aren't real? The BBC have conned us all these years? I'm going to send 'em to the dog house!! I must admit I liked the loo idea as well..................
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[Anonymous]

Kim mate forget about it, didn't you even realise you don't even have a dog!

Regards Ian