Steam & Excursion > She Sports An Interesting Carry Over From Earlier Times -Why?!

Southern Pacific 2-8-0 #2505 backs in the sunshine at the Sparks Shops in November 1945 as she is prepared for another day of duty.

We cannot help but notice that this Consolidation sports a prominent doghouse on her tender, something you don't often see on the SP. While doghouses were more common on hand-fired coal burning engines as there was no room in the cab for the head-end brakeman, #2505 is clearly an oil burner.

Why does she sport a doghouse?

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/17 03:40 by LoggerHogger.

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It must have been because of the cold winters heading out on the Mina branch.

Perhaps the doghouse is a leftover from when (2nd) SP2505 was coal burner El Paso & Northeastern 52 (later EP&SW181). It was converted to oil in March 1913 by EP&SW. According to Menke’s “The Compendium Companion” he says, “Fairly late in life the cabs of 2nd 2505, 2506 and 2507 were moved back on the firebox. This gave engine the crew some cab space and lengthened the engine.”

Methinks it's not a tender doghouse but rather the top of a building in the background.

I suspect that LarryB is correct...

However, there is a globe valve and a couple of pipe elbows sticking out the top of the steam dome lid..

Stationary boiler use??? ( if needed).

W.

ICC decree that head brakeman must have enclosed seat safe from the weather. If no room in cab, doghouse was the answer whether oil or coal fired. T&NO had a lot of them on 2-8-2's as well as other railroads.

The photo stands up well to enlargement and a close examination seems to confirm that it IS a doghouse on the tender. The man seems to be leaning against it and it has grab irons.

Ed

I have several photos of this engine. It has a dog house in nearly every photo. Also three or four of the engines in the early 2500 series show dog houses and some of the photos
This is definitely the doghouse on the tender in this photo
Martin

Posted from iPhone

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> The photo stands up well to enlargement and a close examination seems to confirm that it IS a doghouse on the tender. The man seems to be leaning against it and it has grab irons.

Not only this, but there is a grab iron along the edge of its roof.

The pipe that is coming out of the steam dome is for RH steam. Either in or out.


Nudge

> Stationary boiler use??? ( if needed).


Not halfway on/off the turntable.

I apologize....

I intended to surmise that the engine ( had the capability) could be placed near a needy-boiler site... and be easily connected to the fitting on the boiler top.
The ideal dry steam connection......
NOT , that it would be connected to a stationary site, halfway off the turntable....

It’s like an out-dated engine, a typical candidate for standby boiler use .....

Sorry for the confusion..

W.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that this engine and a sister former EP&SW engine held down the Cloudcroft Branch of the SP (former EP&SW and Alamogordo & Sacramento RR) from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft, NM. The line had serious grades and curvature. They put a doghouse on the tank because the brakeman would have had to ride a jump seat ahead of the fireman in the deckless cab. Putting him "in the doghouse" got him out of the cramped cab and up where he could actually see the train.

Now, as to why it is looking good in Sparks, NV is a different question entirely.......

I’d guess that it’s because the assigned head brakeman had some serious gas!! In all seriousness there are a number of reasons why an oil burner would have a dog house. One of which that seems to have been overlooked is hotboxes. I know little about where this locomotive worked, but I wouldn’t rule out the probability either. Looks like a nice place to nap too.

Posted from iPhone