Hi George,
Let's see if we can answer these one at a time.... These answers are based on my brief experience of Railroading.
> Where did the front end brakeman spend his time on duty before doghouses were invented?
Generally somewhere out of the way in the cab of the locomotive.
> What function did he perform after air brakes were installed?
Most trains are built in station order from front to rear. It fell to the head end brakie to make the cut at the right place, tie down the remaining portion of the train and begin the set out or pick up. If the move was simple, the Head Brakeman was expected to make the set out or pick up himself. The Rear Brakeman and Conductor might or might not hike up from the rear of the train depending on how involved the move was. That's why the Rear Brakeman's job was the preferred one.
If switching was involved, or it was a difficult move, or if signals needed to be passed to the Engineer, the crew would position themselves where they could be seen by the Engineer and send him back and forth between them and between tracks to make the moves. Remember, no radios, it was all hand signals back then. A good Crew using hand signs was like watching an intricately choreographed ballet. In some cases there weren't even any instructions communicated verbally between the head and rear end. They knew the moves and the Head Brakie looked back to the Conductor, got the hand signal and the move began. Believe it or not, a good crew using hand signals could perform a set out or pick up faster than a modern crew using radios.
If the train went into emergency it was the head and rear Brakemen's reponsibility to flag against oncoming and following trains as defined by Rules 99 and 102 while the Conductor inspected the train for defects.
If a train was stopped for a meet, it was the Head Brakeman's responsibility to cross to the opposite side of the track and inspect the oncoming train for defects such as shifted loads, dragging equipment, sticking brakes, hotboxes, anything that could affect the safe passage of the passing train. The rear brakeman inspected the other side of the passing train as once a meet was made, the train in the hole could line themselves out and continue on their way, if the Rear Brakie was frogged on the other side of the tracks, it could be a long hike back to civilization. A member of crew of the passing train was expected to be on the back platform of the caboose to inspect the train that they were passing, plus they were expected to receive any signals from the Brakemen on the other train as to the condition of their own train. There are a whole series of hand signals (not found in any rulebook) to indicate "Hotbox", "Slider", "sparker". Remember, there was no such thing as radios back then.
> And why did D&RGW put doghouses on tenders if there were no actual duties for the head end brakeman to perform.
As I just stated, there were duties, and many of them. Most of these went away in 1985 when Brakemen were eliminated from the crew of most trains in favor of FRED, Hotbox and dragging equipment detectors, and having dispatchers set up head and rear end "Protection" if a train goes into emergency.
However, even today, the definition of a "Standard" crew is a Conductor, Engineer and Brakeman. Brakemen are invaluable in Local Service to expedite the work and to get the job done.
> And why didn't he ride in the caboose?
Umm... How do you flag the head end from the caboose? Many times speed is of the essence to flag against oncoming traffic. If you have to walk the length of your train, plus the prescribed flagging distance, you might just be too late to avert a potential disaster.
> And what function did those pipes and handle in the doghouse serve?
As near as I can tell, they were valves to regulate the flow of steam into the heater pipes below the seat.
> The above questions have been rattleing around in my brain since early on in my railroading experience and I would appreciate laying them to rest.
I hope that this puts some of those brain rattles to rest. The Brakemen were a needed part of the crew. Unfortunately, they were replaced by technology. The brakeman's slot was also a very good apprenticeship position to learn the job of being a Conductor. I was a Brakeman for ten years before being invited to take my Conductor's Promotion. Believe me, there is a lot more that you can learn from riding with a Conductor with many years of experience than you can ever learn in a classroom or from a computer. Unfortunately, all of that collective memory is being lost.
Rick
