Where did the term hoghead originate??

Question

Been one since 1975 and I still dont know where the term originated. My wife says cuz we are all so pigheaded but I think there must be a different origin. I am guessing it was from the 1800's but dont even know that, does anyone know??

Answer 1

My dad (former conducter) would have agreed with your wife on occasion.

When I asked him about it (years ago and he has since passed away) he told me it was due to when they used to carry "pig iron" but -- like most railroaders I know he could have been just pulling my leg.

Of course, another use for the term hogshead is as a measure for a barrel of beer.  For some of the guys I have known (a long time ago) it could have been this use.

Answer 2

Two schools of thought here, Rango.

One (and I think the most likely) is that the steam engines were often referred to as 'water hogs'.  The one runnin' it was the 'water hog head'.  The word 'water' was dropped, and 'hog head' was that which remained.

The other possibility is that often, the earlier inventors usually attached their name to their invention.  Supposedly, there was a type of engine built referred to as the 'Hogg' steam engine, so the engineer was the Hogg head.  But, I think this unlikely, as I haven't ever seen, heard or read anything about a Hogg type steam engine.

Addendum:  I stand corrected.  There was a Hogg who had invented some sort of improvement to a steam engine, and there was a patent dispute that was brought in 1848.  The info I found doesn't describe the invention but refers to the legal wrangling and decision.  The case was Hogg v. Emerson and it went all the way to the Supreme Court and was adjudicated in March, 1850.

Still, I'd lean towards the 'water hog' origin.

P.S.  I was promoted in '76.  Don't look now, but we're dinosaurs............

Answer 3

Found this while searching for railroad lingo. "Hoghead is said to have originated on the Denver & Rio Grande in 1887, being used to label a brakeman's caricature of an engineer"

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