Background information:
At every yard where steam locomotives spent the night was a coal bunker with, in this case, an attached barn for twigs and easy combustible material present. Firing up a steam locomotive was in fact almost never done with coal alone.
This bunker was built with a temporary purpose. Built around 1880, it was no longer in active service in 1904.
The Waalwijk station changed around 1890 from a terminal to a through station, therefore functions such as the coal park had to be moved to the nearby city of 's-Hertogenbosch. After all, it could all be more large-scale and more efficient, for example with a crane instead of the shovel and a hand-driven conveyor belt.
Architectural details:
The building consisted of a wooden frame with wooden paneling. The struts served to guide the lateral force to the ground, so that the walls would stay upright if the bunker was full of coals and fagots.
Pavement was constructed around the bunker. Tiles were laid in the bunker, so that the remains of coal could be used. Furthermore, a paved surface was useful when the bunker had to be replenished.
