A junior roundhouse employee tasked with scrubbing grease, soot and ash off locomotives. In the steam era, this was the grueling, dirty starting position for young workers hoping to eventually become firemen and engineers. The job required crawling under the machinery to clean the running gear and boiler jacket, giving the worker an intimate knowledge of locomotive mechanics.
My grandfather started on the railroad as an engine cleaner in the roundhouse before he ever touched a scoop.
In North American railroading, this role was almost universally called a wiper.
Also heard as
- Wiper
Related terms
Hostler
A terminal worker who moves, fuels, sands and services locomotives inside the engine facility.
Roundhouse
A circular or semi-circular maintenance building used to service and store locomotives.
Engine shed
A historic railway building used to store, inspect and perform light maintenance on locomotives.