Hey HOGHEAD!?

Question

Why do you call engineers "Hoggers" or "Hogheads" anyway? Also, when you run out of time (12 hrs) Why do you say, "The Hogs got us?"

Answer 1

Wittster is on the right track.

In my understand, the term "hog head" came from one of two places.  One explanation, which to me seems the most likely, is that steam locomotives were often referred to as "water hogs", thus the person at the trottle was the "water hog head", with the hog head remaining after the "water" was dropped.

The other possibilty is that there was a steam engine called the Hogg Engine.  In the early days, parts or designs of engines carried the inventers name, like Stevens valve gear or Walscherts valve gear or lubricators, etc.  The person on the "seat box" (another old term for the engineer's seat)  was the Hogg head.

I am inclined to disagree with Wittster however, in this instance.  Don't get me wrong, Wit, I've read many of your answers and you are very knowledgable and have gotten my vote more than once.  This term predates 1887.  The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineer's was the first (and consequently the oldest) labor organization in the country, having been founded in 1863.  I have seen old documents, union related, where the term has been used, that predates the year you suggest.

Today's connotation of the term hoghead is more than slang, as it is usually applied to an engineer who is not very proficient with his train handling.

Been "got by the hogs" many more times than I care to recall, but was in fact "dead on the law."

Sometime in the teens, I believe, legislation was enacted called the Federal Hours of Service Act.  It came into being because, at a time predating it, livestock was moved by rail.

The train's carrying them had to stop, periodically, so the the animals being transported could get some rest, keeping them healthier on their way to their demise.

While the animals rested, the train crew remained on duty, with the train, before resuming their trip.

The "Hog Law", as it came to be known, mandated that after being on duty for 16 hours, the crews had to be relieved by a rested crew.  This time was dropped to 14 hours (a year or two before I hired out", and eventually dropped to 12 hours.  Some time back, there was discussion of lowering the limit to 10 hours, the same as present day long haul truckers.

Hope this answers your questions, which were very good questions.  Toss us another one.

Answer 2

It is my understanding that hoggers were junior (less experienced) engineers who moved locomotives around from the roundhouse to freight yards or passenger terminals.   A road engineer handled a train from yard or station to its destination.  

In the US, there is a federal safety law which limits train crews to a maximum of 12 hours service on the job, at which time they must be relieved by another crew, and get 8 hours of rest before they can work again.   A crew that ran out of time 'died' due to the hours of service law.

See source for another explanation.

Answer 3

HOG— An engineer may be called a hogger, hoghead, hogmaster, hoggineer, hog jockey, hog eye, grunt, pig-mauler, etc. Hoghead is said to have originated on the Denver & Rio Grande in 1887, being used to label a brakeman's caricature of an engineer, pigish, pighead.

As far as "The Hogs got us?" I have no clue? But here on the BNSF Railway we use "DOL" dead on the law, when our 12hrs are up.