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The Mother of All Cabooses

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  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
The Mother of All Cabooses
Posted by BigDaddy on Friday, June 3, 2022 4:57 PM

From the governement that brought you $200 toilets, which today isn't even a down payment on a Japanese style toilet, here is a caboose that would satisfy Sadem Hussein, if he was a model railroader.

At 2.52 

The caption says heavily armored to protect nuclear shipments.   What is inside?  Maybe Navy Seals, since there are no windows, they wouldn't get sea sick.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 2,505 posts
Posted by caldreamer on Friday, June 3, 2022 9:35 PM

They are used to guard naval reactors for submarines and aircraft carriers.  The loads are covered in transit.  The design of these reactors are highly classified since they are the most sufisticated and efficient on the planet.  Nuclear weapons and their components are transported by unmarked trucks with hevaly armed escorts.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, June 4, 2022 12:35 AM

BigDaddy
From the governement that brought you $200 toilets, which today isn't even a down payment on a Japanese style toilet.

We sell $200.00 toilets at Home Depot!

My daughter has a several-thousand dollar toilet in her house in Seattle. My wife loves it, and wants one too... ugh.

We have dicussed this piece of equipment before.

It is not heavily armored, this is obvious by looking at the trucks. They would never support the weight of heavy armor.

It might be armored against small arms fire, or it could have a small armored compartment, but there is not heavy armor protecting the entirety of the caboose.

It most likely houses an immediate reaction force to repel an assault until the real escort arrives. That is probably 2-5 attack helicopters operating just over the horizon.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,877 posts
Posted by maxman on Saturday, June 4, 2022 4:44 PM

SeeYou190
My daughter has a several-thousand dollar toilet in her house in Seattle. My wife loves it, and wants one too... ugh. We have dicussed this piece of equipment before. It is not heavily armored,

Why would anyone need a heavily armored toilet?

  • Member since
    August 2004
  • 232 posts
Posted by ckape on Saturday, June 4, 2022 4:55 PM

It is listed in the CSX railcar database, although their website is set up that I can't directly link it, you can search for VWXX 800.

Most of the information is empty, but it does give the outside dimensions (68'11" long, 15'8" tall, 10'5" wide) and the weights (18500 lbs maximum, 175000 empty).  I also see it's listed as a passenger car (AAR code M500) rather than a caboose (AAR code 930).

  • Member since
    July 2009
  • From: lavale, md
  • 4,678 posts
Posted by gregc on Sunday, June 5, 2022 4:46 AM

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Sunday, June 5, 2022 7:19 AM

It's a courier car, mostly for nuclear-fuel shipments (which when new contain enriched uranium, and when spent contain a range of decay daughters).  As noted, the effective 'defense' functions (for example against those who might try to capture spent material to make radiological weapons) only involve short-time reaction; the NNPP indicates this is more a 'boots-on-the-ground' rapid response to rail 'incidents' like derailments.

Some of you might be interested in the details on the corporate site.

See if anyone can read the copied notice on the door in this image.

 

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