How about this... When you set your caboose at the end of your train, if the cupola is offset, do you place the caboose with the cupola closer to the car ahead of it, or further away? Also, the smoke jack. Do you make a consicous effort to place the caboose with the smoke jack to the rear of the cupola? Of course, if your caboose has marker lamps, there's only one way! ;}
Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep 'em rolling! John.
John,
The NYC had offset cupolas on their cabooses and I was told it didn't matter which way it was coupled. That said, the marker lamps would mostly likely need to be at the rear of the train.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
DRGW ran their offset cupola cabooses either way. Marker lights were on both ends.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
CNR and CP ran their offset cupola cabeese either way, for practical reason. I do the same on my layout but I prefer when the cupola is at the end, for what I consider better esthetic.
Guy
Modeling CNR in the 50's
Actual railroads used the caboose in either direction and would not take the time & effort to turn a caboose for negligable advantage. The brackets for the markers were on either end, so the crew would move them to the rear as needed.
Now on my model railroad, indeed the markers are only on one end. My railroad is "out and back" with no turn-around on a shelf layout. My decision is to place the marker end of the caboose to where it is "proper" when the train is coming back to town loaded with logs or coal. Similarly, the locomotive backs up the line with the empties and comes back "as God intended" with the loaded train. The engineers of my line selected that method to provide the greatest safety when handling a loaded/heavy train. I don't have any actual grades, but on mountain lines with significant grades they would often keep the nose of the locomotive pointed uphill to keep water over the crownsheet and thereby prevent boiler explosions.... but still would use the caboose in either direction.
Bill
I would place my caboose with the cupola facing the same direction as the brake wheel on the boxcars
May your flanges always stay BETWEEN the rails
When I was growing up near the B&O's Akron Division mainline, I noticed that the B&O usually ran their standard assigned I-5 (center cupola) wooden cabooses without turning them. In other words, the orientation of the smoke jack was almost always the same. The smoke jack was in the lead in one direction, and it trailed in the other direction. The problem is, fifty years later I don't remember whether the smoke jack was always at the west end, or at the east end, so the info is pretty much useless to me now.
As far as I know, all cabooses had marker light brackets on all four corners, so they could be used in any direction. There may have been some railroad(s) that insisted on turning cabooses, but I don't know who that might have been.
When they still had 'wood' SUF assigned cabooses ( the Traincrew lived and slept in them out of town ) out of here, the Cupola was preferred on the west end.
If the Cupola was on the east end, the Conductor at his desk faced a rock wall for forty miles going west, which did funny things to the eyes similar to standing too close to a train. The other way he had an open view over the lake for the same distance, better light, also.
Going the 'wrong way around' felt strange and disorienting, esp at night.
Centre Cupola Cabooses were not liked here, but Prairie crews liked them as they usually had TWO 2 stoves in -30 degree cold.
Nobody like the three 3 post War Bay Window Cabooses at ALL.
Cabooses with LEAF springs rode better.
Older Cabooses had horizontal hand brake wheels ( stemwinders ) with a foot dog and wood buffer beams, newer or modernized cars had vertical brake wheels and chain and steel buffer beams.
There were thin sheet metal plates hung from end railings to catch wheel splash from car ahead, and a vertical chain to pull the pin from the platforms.
Thank You.
Very interesting, NDG. Especially the effect on the crew's eyes. As far as turning cars, I'm reminded of how the New York Centrial would always turn the cars of the 20th Century (so that the windows would face the same way traveling in either direction) after a run. Thank you all for your comments.
One other observation on the "prototype for everything" column: The Illinois Central had a branch from Freeport, Illinois up to Madison, Wisconsin and my father was often the conductor on that run. There was limited trackage in Madison, where the line terminated in the middle of an urban area. There was still a turntable there from steam days and sometimes the crew would push the caboose onto the turntable just to have it out of the way for other switching moves. They did not turn the caboose, but would "park" it on the turntable while working the town.
Dad told of returning to the caboose one time and finding an attractive University of Wisconsin co-ed with paints and an easel, painting an image of the caboose sitting on the turntable. He explained to her that they had to leave town, but when she looked distressed he said "but I can put that caboose right back there tomorrow at the same time". And I wonder what ever happened to that painting...
JOHN C TARANTO As far as turning cars, I'm reminded of how the New York Centrial would always turn the cars of the 20th Century (so that the windows would face the same way traveling in either direction) after a run. Thank you all for your comments.
As far as turning cars, I'm reminded of how the New York Centrial would always turn the cars of the 20th Century (so that the windows would face the same way traveling in either direction) after a run. Thank you all for your comments.
To clarify a bit...New York Central's mainline on the east bank of the Hudson River was the line used by most of it's passenger trains. For much of the route from Manhattan to Albany, the line had the Hudson on one side and basically a rock wall on the other side. New York Central kept any corridor sleeping cars (i.e. cars that had a corridor on one side and compartments / bedrooms etc. on the other, rather than having an aisle down the middle) set up so the corridor was on the rock wall side, with the compartments etc. facing the Hudson. This meant some cars had to be turned (like Observation cars) while some cars weren't turned, so they always had the passenger window side facing the Hudson.