Skip to main content

I'm just starting this thread for anybody's memories or pics of horses working the railroads. We've all seen photos of the horse-powered streetcars, but what knowledge is there on horses as switchers? I think someone posted pics on the forum of the PRR's horse-team "switchers", but I haven't found them.

This is Charlie, the last shunting horse used on British Railways. There were probably others in private company service for longer. 

Check at 1:00 on this video link (and the date!): 

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

This is a GREAT thread!  Thanks Firewood!  I own a small farm in central NJ.  I named it All Aboard Farm because of the carriage horses I own and my love of model trains.  I learned something new when I saw the first photo of the 1 horse power switcher.  It made my day!

Ultimately the iron horse replaced the horse, bitter sweat for me.  But I can honestly say I never get tired of being around the horses or seeing live steam whenever I have the opportunity.  My place is located between the Black River and Western Railroad and the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad.  Both run steam.  Some nights when I am feeding the horses I can hear the steam whistle from old #40.  It's a neat feeling to when you think this is what it was like 100 years ago.

Tony

Tony_V posted:

This is a GREAT thread!  Thanks Firewood!  I own a small farm in central NJ.  I named it All Aboard Farm because of the carriage horses I own and my love of model trains.  I learned something new when I saw the first photo of the 1 horse power switcher.  It made my day!

Ultimately the iron horse replaced the horse, bitter sweat for me.  But I can honestly say I never get tired of being around the horses or seeing live steam whenever I have the opportunity.  My place is located between the Black River and Western Railroad and the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad.  Both run steam.  Some nights when I am feeding the horses I can hear the steam whistle from old #40.  It's a neat feeling to when you think this is what it was like 100 years ago.

Tony

I'm glad you're enjoying it! I grew up among my area's last horse ploughmen, but there were still a lot of horse loggers around. Charlie the shunting horse himself retired in 1967 (!)

 

Last edited by Firewood

I assume they also moved cars with oxen?  Burros, well, mules, maybe?  Wonder what Eddie woulda thought about attending a Mexican bullfight? Totally off topic but  l thought l was going to get clobbered by a mob when l took an old girlfriend into an arena as a cultural experience, not knowing there were people loose in the environment that had no clue what a bullfight was.  She, animal lover, went ballistic, when the picadors started placing the darts. I dragged her outta there in a hurry!!

Less than a mile from my home is the road bed for the Heath Gravity Railroad. Coal from the mines in Midlothian Va was loaded on cars. The train would travel via gravity to the docks in Richmond (Va). Horses were also loaded in cars and accompanied the coal train. The horses would then pull the empties back to Midlothian.

Heath1

heath2

 

Attachments

Images (2)
  • Heath1
  • heath2
Last edited by Gilly@N&W

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×