Counter-bell

Steam locomotive C.68 with four-axle tender mod. 1908 year . A steam train booth and a tender counter booth form a single cabin.

A counter - booth is a small roof -enclosed room on three sides, located in front of a steam locomotive tender and serving as a continuation of a steam booth . Together, the booth and the back booth form a closed cabin in which the locomotive crew is located.

Counter-bells have appeared at tenders of Russian steam locomotives since the 1910s , and for a long time the appropriateness of their presence has been the subject of debate and debate. At the beginning of the 20th century, the booths of steam locomotives were open at the rear and, partially, along the sides. Such a booth did not provide normal protection of the brigade from wind and rain, and in the cold season it was completely useless - the jobs of the brigade were simply swept by snow. As a result, the drivers and stokers equipped their cars with homemade canvas shelters like tents. However, the railway workers were confused by their own superiors. The latter believed that shelters and curtains reduce visibility from the booth, which negatively affects the vigilance of the brigades, so the first time they actively fought against improvised shelters, subjecting the teams to disciplinary sanctions and fines . For the same reasons, the technical department of the Ministry of Railways also had a negative attitude towards the counter-books. At the same time, they often referred to Western steam locomotive construction, which, due to milder climatic conditions, did not feel the need for counterbells and their similarities. As a result, however, the harsh climatic conditions of Russia were nevertheless taken into account, and in the 1910s counterbells were introduced on all roads of the Russian Empire , except, at first, the most southerly.