A specialized trackside platform built to the floor height of a stock car, featuring fenced pens and loading chutes. Crews used these facilities to safely herd large numbers of cattle, sheep, or hogs directly from holding yards onto trains. While North American railroads rarely haul livestock anymore, the concrete or timber remains of these docks still sit beside many rural branch lines.
Heard on the job
Watch your clearance on the house track, the old cattle dock is leaning pretty bad on the west end.
Insider tip
Most surviving cattle docks are severe tripping hazards for trainmen walking the track at night.
Also heard as
- stock dock
- loading chute