Remote Control Shoving Platforms

[BOK]

Cabooses/"shoving platforms" are a great tool for use when there is no runaround track at the end of the move. I wish that more railroads would have kept them for making safe shoves without requiring a conductor to hang onto the side of a freight car for long periods of time.
Th CSX local, shown in the video appears to be going fast but in actuallity was probably going at restricted speed between crossings and may have slowed down to protect them.
No matter what the prototype does, there is always a reason to include a caboose on a model railroad.

Barry

[Mike Kieran]

Interesting example of a short local doing a reverse move. There is of course no doubt whatsoever that shoving platforms are used for lengthy reverse moves for local switchers. That is the express purpose for taking along a caboose as a shoving platform.

The move seems to be faster than I would have thought safe - if that train had hit a truck at a road crossing, the odds for survival without injuries for the conductor on the caboose would presumably not have been all that great?

Not very relevant for the question of taking a unit train of say 50 or 100 cars (give or take a few) hundreds or miles (or more) caboose first to avoid having to run the engines around the cars, going through a balloon track, or to have the engineer move to the cab of a locomotive at the other end of the consist.

Thanks for the videos.

Smile,
Stein

Actually, The Milford-Bennington Railroad runs the entire length of its mainline caboose first because there's no sidings on its entire route. The train runs empty caboose first up to the quarry in Bennington and returns engine first to the interchange at Bennington. This is where it would make sense to have a remote controlled caboose operating in a push-pull capacity. If it's a unit train running the same cars, you could conceivably run the MU lines the length of the train and operate the caboose as a cab car, just like on commuter trains (which operate with the engine pushing at high speeds).

[FCIN]

This is where it would make sense to have a remote controlled caboose operating in a push-pull capacity. If it's a unit train running the same cars, you could conceivably run the MU lines the length of the train and operate the caboose as a cab car, just like on commuter trains (which operate with the engine pushing at high speeds).

Why would you need MU lines running the length of the train? You simply need a radio control system to operate the locomotives if indeed you had a set up like this. Today's DPU trains and the older Locotrol system operate by radio signals.

[steinjr]

Actually, The Milford-Bennington Railroad runs the entire length of its mainline caboose first because there's no sidings on its entire route. The train runs empty caboose first up to the quarry in Bennington and returns engine first to the interchange at Bennington. This is where it would make sense to have a remote controlled caboose operating in a push-pull capacity.

Mike --

A remotely controlled unit is controlled (by radio) from somewhere else.

There is no point in standing on a caboose, use a radio to contact the caboose you are standing on, and then running a cable from the caboose all along the train to the engine on the other end of the train, when you instead can use that radio to contact the on the other end of the train directly.

What you are thinking about is not a remotely controlled unit - it is a cab unit. A locomotive or car with engineers controls, which is used with train sets that are permanently coupled with cables running all through the permanently coupled units. Used for passenger trains in push-pull service.

There are also (for long trains which need more power than you can put at the front without putting too much strain on the couplers) DPU (distributed power units), which are controlled by radio from the cab of the front unit on the train. The mid-train DPUs or end of train DPUs are remotely controlled units.

For a local train where you can't run cars around, and where you don't need the engine power of two units, you can also just put one non-radio controlled unit at the front and another at the end of the train respectively - and just have the engineer move to the other loco before the train returns.

There just isn't any obvious sensible need for putting a radio reception unit at one end of the train, stringing cables all along the train, and then stand on the radio reception unit with a belt pack.

Having a shoving platform makes sense. Standing on some car (including a shoving platform) with a belt pack can make sense under some circumstances. But radio controlling a shoving platform and then using MU cables all through the train to reach the loco just doesn't make much sense.

I'll stop flogging the dead horse now :-)

Smile,
Stein

[Brakie]

For a local train where you can't run cars around, and where you don't need the engine power of two units, you can also just put one non-radio controlled unit at the front and another at the end of the train respectively - and just have the engineer move to the other loco before the train returns.
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Actually you wouldn't need to do that-the conductor can ride the unit being shoved by a manned locomotive in order to sound the horns for grade crossings-I seen this done on CR and CSX.

If R/C is being used all the operator would need to do is stand on the locomotive front or rear walkway.


I notice locomotives on both ends of locals is becoming normal-this of course eliminates runaround moves-this can easily be emulated with DCC..

[cv_acr]

Actually, The Milford-Bennington Railroad runs the entire length of its mainline caboose first because there's no sidings on its entire route. The train runs empty caboose first up to the quarry in Bennington and returns engine first to the interchange at Bennington. This is where it would make sense to have a remote controlled caboose operating in a push-pull capacity. If it's a unit train running the same cars, you could conceivably run the MU lines the length of the train and operate the caboose as a cab car, just like on commuter trains (which operate with the engine pushing at high speeds).

Still not quite getting it I think Mike.

Your Milford-Bennington Railroad is an excellent example of using a caboose as a shoving platform.

A remote-control car is very different from a shoving platform. It just has R/C receiving equipment and gets hooked up directly to the locomotive(s) to be controlled. It's not an operating cab like a passenger cab car, it's just an R/C receiver. Freight cars don't have pass-through M.U. connections as freights really are not operated in "push-pull" configurations like commuter trains. And besides, during switching or picking up cars you can't separate the locomotive(s) and remote control car, or you lose that control.

[Mike Kieran]

Wow, I thought that this thread was dead!

I know the difference. I was just originally confused because I saw a picture of a caboose with remote control lettering being used as a shoving platform.

I understand how the Milford -Bennington uses their caboose as a shoving platform. What I mean is that the railroad could operate in a push-pull fashion with one operator. The cars can all conceivably be unloaded all at once.

[iandrewmartin]

The source is: Caboose (Mike Schafer) - I found mine on Amazon, their are other sites that sell them also. See page 92/93 for a picture.

Here is the text of the caption on page 92:
In an unusual twist the Wisconson Central RR used cabooses to reduce the number of crew members needed to operate certain trains. Railroad shop forces converted eight formeer Algoma central cabooses into remote-control vehicles. Equipped with locomotive air-braking equipment and a radio receiver, the cars - coupled to a locomotive and linked via special plug-in cables - can be used to remotely operate the locomotive. Thus an engineer can also serve as his train's brakeman, throwing switches from and uncoupling cars while controlling his locomotive from trackside. Modified, the cabooses feature their own horns and headlights; the coloured lights on the sides of the cupola provide an indiciationto the trackside operator whether the locomotive is in braking or acceleration mode. Photo by C. E. Newton

It would appear that rather than modify their loco fleet for remote control, the cabooses [cabeese] were modified instead. And I have to admit to an admiration for these units. They look darned smart with all of the locomotive kit hanging off the front of them.

As for something that could be used at the front of a reversing train, almost any platform could be used. Some have mentioned modified flat cars, I have seen old MP yard cabooses in this roll with a crew member on the front of the train, radio in hand, directing the movement across the grade crossings, and through switches also. All by radio to the engineer at the back of the train.

And I have something in O gauge that could be kitbashed into just that very style...
All the best and hope that this post has helped someone.