Platelayer

In British usage the term platelayers' hut refers to a lineside shelter in which a platelayer would historically be based. In the heyday of steam railway operation a platelayer might be assigned to each mile or two miles of track, with a platelayers' hut as his shelter and working base. He would regularly patrol his section of track. In modern railway operation platelayers tend to operate in mobile teams, but the lineside of the British railway network still includes a large number of abandoned and generally dilapidated platelayers' huts.[4] Platelayers' huts were generally a single room, immediately adjacent to the running lines, equipped with a table, chairs, and a simple stove for heating.

In Sweden, each railway employed a number of platelayers with the responsibility for the maintenance of a designated part of the line. Instead of working from huts, they lived in cottages along the line (banvaktsstugor, singular banvaktsstuga). These cottages were usually designed to match the stations in architectural design. Each cottage would typically have a couple of rooms and a kitchen, and the platelayers often kept a cow or chicken, as well as growing vegetables and fruit. The platelayer system was finally dismantled in the 1950s, but many cottages still stand, typically used for holiday purposes.[5]