06-12-2009, 08:59 AM
Caboose usage varied over time...as did the union contracts, ICC rules, and state laws.
In the early years, there were no cabooses (or cabeese...depending upon which plural you prefer). The South Park was 4-5 years old or more before it obtained its first caboose. The Colorado Central was a decade old before it purchased its first caboose. The Nevada County Narrow Gauge was nearly 70 years old before it built its first caboose.
In the days of hand brakes, the brakemen and the conductor needed to be on the top of the train to adjust the brakes. The engineer would whistle and they'd run along the top of the train applying them. The conductor would keep his paper work either in the cab or in one of the cars. After vacuum and air brakes became wide spread, the crews didn't need to ride on the top of the train anymore.
In the early years, before building the line up Kenosha Pass, the South Park typically used their combine on the end of their freight trains...just as the Colorado Central typically used a passenger car as well. The South Park's early line was relatively flat, so the weight savings of a caboose over a passenger car were irrelevant...and a similar situation existed on the Colorado Central (empties went upgrade, loadeds came down). With the longer trains over steeper grades and longer runs, cabooses allowed greater tonnage and provided a rolling hotel for the crew...they also had vacuum brakes on the South Park at this point, so the crew didn't need to stay up on top of the cars. Also, purchasing additional cabooses was cheaper than either more passenger cars or lawsuits. Some railroads rarely ever used cabooses or passenger cars at the ends of their trains...even into the late 1940s.
Across the country, cabooses came into vogue after Eames and Westinghouse started to really thrive. On short lines, they never really caught on as the crews were never far from home, speeds were usually slow, and trains were relatively short. For instance, the EBT is well known for its crews preferring the combines.
After WW2 in Indiana, any train longer than...67(?) cars required an extra crew. This was a result of the union's ties with the state legislature, as it didn't serve any purpose, but it provides an interesting detail for modelers of Indiana railroads. The extra caboose was usually tucked in behind the locomotives on the NKP.
The 4-wheel bobbers, IIRC, were mostly eliminated by ICC rules early in the 20th century. I don't know why the Colorado & Southern was able to escape. Many 4-wheel bobbers were rebuilt into 8-wheel cabooses. West Side Lumber and other non-common carriers were not subject to such rules and as such, they were not bound by ICC rules.
In the early years, there were no cabooses (or cabeese...depending upon which plural you prefer). The South Park was 4-5 years old or more before it obtained its first caboose. The Colorado Central was a decade old before it purchased its first caboose. The Nevada County Narrow Gauge was nearly 70 years old before it built its first caboose.
In the days of hand brakes, the brakemen and the conductor needed to be on the top of the train to adjust the brakes. The engineer would whistle and they'd run along the top of the train applying them. The conductor would keep his paper work either in the cab or in one of the cars. After vacuum and air brakes became wide spread, the crews didn't need to ride on the top of the train anymore.
In the early years, before building the line up Kenosha Pass, the South Park typically used their combine on the end of their freight trains...just as the Colorado Central typically used a passenger car as well. The South Park's early line was relatively flat, so the weight savings of a caboose over a passenger car were irrelevant...and a similar situation existed on the Colorado Central (empties went upgrade, loadeds came down). With the longer trains over steeper grades and longer runs, cabooses allowed greater tonnage and provided a rolling hotel for the crew...they also had vacuum brakes on the South Park at this point, so the crew didn't need to stay up on top of the cars. Also, purchasing additional cabooses was cheaper than either more passenger cars or lawsuits. Some railroads rarely ever used cabooses or passenger cars at the ends of their trains...even into the late 1940s.
Across the country, cabooses came into vogue after Eames and Westinghouse started to really thrive. On short lines, they never really caught on as the crews were never far from home, speeds were usually slow, and trains were relatively short. For instance, the EBT is well known for its crews preferring the combines.
After WW2 in Indiana, any train longer than...67(?) cars required an extra crew. This was a result of the union's ties with the state legislature, as it didn't serve any purpose, but it provides an interesting detail for modelers of Indiana railroads. The extra caboose was usually tucked in behind the locomotives on the NKP.
The 4-wheel bobbers, IIRC, were mostly eliminated by ICC rules early in the 20th century. I don't know why the Colorado & Southern was able to escape. Many 4-wheel bobbers were rebuilt into 8-wheel cabooses. West Side Lumber and other non-common carriers were not subject to such rules and as such, they were not bound by ICC rules.
Michael
My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
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My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
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