Brakemen of freight trains in the most popular ages

[0303fxm]

Kindly let me know the following.
1.   How many brakemen in a freight train?  (Say consisting of 100 freight cars)
2.   Where were they in off time; in a caboose?
3.   I often see a dog house on a tender of many PRR steam engines.  Is the house for brakemen or other purposes?

Thank you for your response.

Ryoichi in Yokohama, Japan

[Maletrain]

Back in the days when there was a "fireman" in the locomotive along with the "engineer" (even in diesels that did not have fires to maintain), there was a "head end brakeman" as well as a brakeman in the caboose.  Now, we may only have an engineer, and some companies are trying to replace that last human with automation.

Back in the days when there were head end brakeman riding in locomotives, different companies had different approaches to providing places for them to sit when not on the ground cutting cars or riding out on the cars when going down grades.

For instance, the B&O put extensions on the backs of the "fireman's side" of steam engine cabs that were engaged in freight work:

[Maletrain]

Here is a better picture of the B&O cab extension for a brakeman's seat:

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[0303fxm]

Hello Maletrain,

Thank you so much for your response.  I did not know the "head end brakeman" being very interesting fact.
I understand the dog house on a tender is for him.  Right?

Meantime I am so happy if you respond to my questions of #1 and #2 above.

[Mark5]

Some "doghouse" info here:

https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27952

[Missaberoad]

In the age of airbrakes and union contracts you would have a 5 man crew. The conductor and senior brakeman would be in the caboose, the engineer fireman and junior brakeman would be on the head end.

The headend man would wind up doing most of the work over the road, and have the less comfortable seat. Hence why he would have the lowest seniority.

Yard crews could have more crew members assigned, especially if hand signals needed to be relayed

We lost the fireman in the 1960s to 70s.

Lost the rear brakeman in the late 70s to 80s

Lost the headend brakeman in the 90s

Now the conductor is the next one in the crosshairs, will see what the future brings.

As far as the early days before airbrakes, you weren't likely to see a hundred car train. With some notable exceptions, 25 to 40 cars and about 1000 to 1500 tons was considered to be the limit of safety at the time. A train would have 2 to 5 brakeman depending on length, grades territory.

Train crews would rest in the caboose, engine crews would stay at a bunkhouse at the away terminal.

[0303fxm]

Thank you Mark5.

[0303fxm]

Missaberoad,

”As far as the early days before airbrakes, you weren't likely to see a hundred car train. With some notable exceptions, 25 to 40 cars and about 1000 to 1500 tons was considered to be the limit of safety at the time. A train would have 2 to 5 brakeman depending on length, grades territory.”

This is what I want to know.  I understand the "2 to 5 brakeman" made braking job on each car by using the catwalk when reuired.

Thank you very much!

[Missaberoad]

Happy to be of help.

Also keep in mind that things like crew size, and operation specifics vary from railroad to railroad and even from terminal to terminal.