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What is a hog drencher?

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  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: Indiana
  • 6 posts
What is a hog drencher?
Posted by kylebig4 on Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:12 PM
I was looking at a railroad valuation map and saw a note that said hog drencher.  Is it that what it sounds like?  A hose for washing off live stock?
  • Member since
    August 2002
  • From: Corpus Christi, Texas
  • 2,377 posts
Posted by leighant on Wednesday, July 12, 2006 9:04 PM

Just off the top of my head without looking up the facts.  I remember there were federal regulations about care of livestock.  Cattle were required to be "rested" every so many hours- 20 hours?  I don't remember the exact amount of time.  They had to be let out of cars to be fed, watered, etc.  However, hogs could be watered inside the cars by spraying water through the sides.  Sounds like a hog drencher would be the apparatus that would allow that.

I remember hearing from a railroader about a crew that decided to cut the procedure even closer.  There was a water tower for steam locomotives with water from a cold mountain-fed stream.  The crew decided to water the hogs by removing the spout from the water tower and running the cars past the running water.  The extremely cold water shocked the hogs and killed them, resulting in a big fine for the railroad, damage claims from shippers, sanctions against the crew etc.

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, July 12, 2006 11:31 PM
Hogs don't take to the heat very well, so the railroad would have these water pumps next to the tracks that would spew water through the sides of the stock car as the train rolled past, thus helping the hogs to stay cool.

Dave
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Austin, TX
  • 462 posts
Posted by 4merroad4man on Thursday, July 13, 2006 10:47 AM
Hog drenching was a regulated practice required by law.  If you will go to http://www.trainweb.org/nrmrc/taprototype.html you will find, at the bottom of the page, photos of Union Pacific hog drenching stations and hog drenching in action.
Serving Los Gatos and The Santa Cruz Mountains with the Legendary Colors of the Espee. "Your train, your train....It's MY train!" Papa Boule to Labische in "The Train"
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 2,299 posts
Posted by Dave-the-Train on Thursday, July 13, 2006 2:13 PM
A hog car in 1994?   Where can I get an H0 one?  PLEASE???

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