Caboose's Still being used?

[Puddlejumper]

As far as I know, there are no longer any laws that require cabooses on trains. Most, if not all, major railroads keep cabooses rostered for several reasons. Trains that have long back up moves involved regularly in their work, especially when road crossing are involved, typically get a caboose. This gives a safe place for the trainmen to ride, and makes the use of a hand held brakepipe whistle much easier than if you were hanging on the side of a car. Typically cabooses used in this way are referred to as "shoving platforms" and the interior is empty. The windows are usually plated over and the doors may be welded shut.

Other uses for cabooses involve DOD movements, radioactive shipments, oversize loads, key trains, MOW service, etc. Any of these may or may not involve the use of a caboose, and certain DOD or NPC movements may or may not be staffed with men in black or camo with high powered rifles that use the caboose as their rider car/security center.

I'm sure there are other reasons to have a caboose on the roster as well. Some railroads, mostly all shortlines and tourist roads, have a caboose because, well, every railroad should have a caboose.

[bob collins]

I see a caboose being used almost every day. The BNSF has a spur that runs on the old Milwaukee mainline from Council Bluffs,to Bayard, Iowa. The trains originate in the Gibson yard in South Omaha and have to be pushed up to intersect with the UPRR mainline to cross the Missouri River bridge. They have to have the caboose for the pushing operation. It must be the only one they have in the area that is operation because it is always the same one, green covered with graffiti. When it passes where I see it here in Council Bluffs here isn't anyone in the caboose and it is outfitted with a RED.

[Brakie]

Both CSX and NS still uses cabooses for long reverse moves.CSX has one in Marion lettered for the Erie.

[Russ Bellinis]

Josh, if you go to the So Cal Railfan Forum and search for "Santa Fe or BNSF caboose" you will find a post I submitted a few years ago titled "I saw a caboose." There is some interesting information that was contributed by members on that site. BNSF still runs a caboose on the Corona local and I think they have 2 cabooses on the La Mirada local. The Corona local runs backward into the Corona siding where the local is tied up at night. I'm not sure how far out they run, but I would guess they go forward out of Corona and when finished they run backwards to get home. I also found out on that thread that other railroads may call them "shoving platforms," but the BNSF still calls them cabooses. I'm not sure about the practice of the U.P., but the S.P. used to use cabooses for the railroad police. They had RAILROAD POLICE stenciled on the side of the caboose in large letters. I suspect they used the caboose to transport the police to an area, they also might have used it as a temporary holding cell for people they arrested.