The caboose?

[Gary S]

The switching thread has led me to another question:

My layout is of a freelanced 1979 shortline industrial railroad. So would this railroad typically use cabooses on its switching journeys?

I sometimes hear of cabooses being used as "shoving platforms". For example, the BNSF still uses an old ATSF caboose in the Mykawa yard near where I work, I see it every week. How and when would that "shoving platform" be needed?

[nachoman]

If a train is backing a long distance, or backing across any crossings, it's nice to have a set of eyes on both ends of the train I have seen local switching trains not use any kind of platform/caboose here in the phoenix area, but I have not observed a train backing for a long distance. On the other hand, in flagstaff BNSF would frequently use an old caboose when switching. Up there, they would be switching from the main line and across busy crossings. The house I lived in as a kid in Ohio was near the end of an industrial conrail branch. I don't recall seeing cabooses on the trains, and being a kid I think I would have definitely watched for a caboose. That would have been late 1970s to early 1980s.

[MasonJar]

[quote="Gary S"]My layout is of a freelanced 1979 shortline industrial railroad. So would this railroad typically use cabooses on its switching journeys? [quote]

Well, it's your creation, so you tell us...!

I think you'd be well within the realm of "believability" if you went either way (i.e. with or without). But the middle ground might be the "shoving platform". Could be an older steel caboose (or even a wood one in 1979) that has had the doors and windows covered or welded shut. This provides simply a place for crews to stand when executing a backing manoeuver. Some railroads went so far as to modify flatcars or other cars for the same purpose.

Andrew

[Puddlejumper]

For some railroads the shoving platform solves many problems. shove moves of any length need a traiman on the leading edge of the shove. The platform gives them a safe place to ride. Also, on some railroads the trainman riding the side of a car for more than XXX distance can claim an arbitrary on his time sheet (basically he gets paid extra for the long shove) but he cannot claim said arbitrary if a caboose or platform is available to ride on.

[Sumpter250]

I don't get out and about as much as when I was working, but I do remember seeing cabooses on local freights even after UP purchased the C&NW.

[Russ Bellinis]

A couple of years ago I saw a caboose on a BNSF train in between Riverside and Corona, Ca. I remarked about it on the So Cal Railfan Forums, and someone told me that was the San Jac local. It runs from Corona to San Jacinto and back. The "J"in San Jacinto is pronounced like an "H", but I think the railroad pronounces the local the "San Jack." Anyway, the caboose is on that local because the train goes East from Corona about 15 miles into the middle of Riverside on the BNSF mainline and then takes the San Jacinto branch another 10 miles or so up the hill. There is no place to turn the train, so there are long backing moves. I think they can make a run around move at the end of the branch so the caboose is always on the rear of the train when it is on the mainline, but it will be on the front sometimes on the San Jacinto branch when they are switching industries up there.

[Brakie]

By 1979 several short lines was still using 4 men crews and used cabooses..

When I started on the Chessie(C&O) we still had 4 men crews and every train carried a caboose.

Ready Freddy didn't start showing up till '84.

[NJ Devils Fan]

Is it me or is a train not a train without a caboose? I remember watching trains as a kid and I could not wait for the caboose to roll by.

When I started working for Conrail in 1988, we were still running a caboose on the Montreal Secondary. The reason for this was that it was all single track railroad with a bunch of "manual block" sidings for trains to pass. When a train had to take a siding to allow another to pass, the head end conductor would throw the switch to enter the siding, then get back on the engine. When the train was in the clear on the siding, the rear end trainman - riding the caboose for this purpose, would line the switch back for the main and get back on the caboose.

Today, the caboose is used for a shoving platform mostly. When a crew has a long shove as part of their work, they rely on a caboose as a safe and comfortable riding platform. It's safer, and easier than riding the end of a railcar too. I've even seen a caboose used to transport "deadhead" crews between terminals. Kind of like a bus.

Anyway...bring back the caboose - it "makes" the train complete - no matter what era you model.

[Charlie B]

Gary, I would say 1979 would still have a caboose. If your line is a union line it definitely would have a caboose at that time unless a contract was negotiated. The companies had to give the union fellows a lot of promises to eliminate the caboose. It is my opinion that FRA rules were another reason for the quick demise of the caboose, because of the required installation of bullet resistant glazing which cost around $4000 at the time. (you will notice on some pictures that windows even got welded over as this P&LE cab has lost the side windows))
Many of the cabooses you see in use today have the doors welded shut so the crew can't get inside. It's legal to ride the platform, but if you are inside the glazing has to be type 1 or type 2, and now I think true cabooses are all required to have toilets unless you are within 30 minutes of a rest room...therefore they have "Push platforms"
Charlie

[Gary S]

Thanks for all the great info, Gentlemen. I think I'll go ahead and run with cabooses - 4 man crews - just like the good ol' days.