Large Scale Central

Story behind the engineer's hat!

Could any one shed some light on this!
Thanks.
Sean

If you mean “why do engineers wear that type of hat”, I think it’s just tradition. I don’t know of any real story behind it.

Engineers today wear a regular baseball cap. As for the style of the hat, that I don’t know but common sense tells me that in the days of old a hat would be mandatory with the soot from the steam locomotives.

Part of the reasoning behind the hats/caps the engineer and other crew wore was/is the ability to wash them. My Uncle Dallas, Roundhouse Foreman on the B&O in Willard, Ohio back inthe 1950’s, changed to clean hats like he did clean work uniforms with all of them being heavily washed, starched and ironed.

Ric Golding said:
Part of the reasoning behind the hats/caps the engineer and other crew wore was/is the ability to wash them. My Uncle Dallas, Roundhouse Foreman on the B&O in Willard, Ohio back inthe 1950's, changed to clean hats like he did clean work uniforms with all of them being heavily washed, starched and ironed.
And that gives credence to why the hats were made of denim back then. They would be easier to wash, starch & iron. Today, put your dirty/sweaty baseball cap on the top rack of the diswasher, turn off the heated drying, wash and let it air dry.....good as new.

I just realized that an Engineers Cap…although made of striped poplin is the same cut as USMC Utility covers…

Bart Salmons said:
I just realized that an Engineers Cap....although made of striped poplin is the same cut as USMC Utility covers.....
Yep, that's right. A good design has many uses.