I was running a good sized string this afternoon at our club and a question popped into my head: other than for respotting, were there ever occasions when more than one caboose might be seen at the end of a freight drag? I seem to recall seeing this once or twice in the 50s when I was a lad; on the Michigan Central, between Detroit and Chicago.
On the other hand, at my age the memory is occasionally marginal - just ask my sweetie.
John
To balance the number of cabeese at one end of the division with the other, there is an anticipated traffic rush at one end of the division that needs extra cabeese or it is deadheading on the way to the shops
cabooses were often assigned to crews having personal and railroad assigned items in them. when one needed service it was necessary for the crew to transfer those items to the second caboose. a second one could also be in transport for shopping
Often times pool service caboose were used to transport additional track workers or personal to areas where they were needed. There were also drovers caboose attached to livestock trains to care for the animals in route. Like others have pointed out. Class repair and upgrades would send a number of them to specialized shops. I'm sure there are a few more reasons for caboose transfer.
Pete.
Some railroads had trains that used a caboose at the front and the rear of the train. The front one could either be used for head-end brakemen on a very long train, or it could be used to handle express being dropped off at stations along the route. But either case was fairly rare.
https://railphoto-art.org/collections/bjorklund/canadian-pacific/#!jig[1]/FL/29123217250
https://railphoto-art.org/collections/bjorklund/chesapeake-and-ohio/#!jig[1]/FL/27746473891
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Some local freights would have a caboose right behind the engine for the conductor (and the front brakeman if there was a fireman on the job) and a caboose on the hind end for the flagman. That way the conductor was at head end for the setouts and pickups and he had a good place to take care of the paperwork. The most important paperwork was, of course, the time card. This was common on the B&O east of Baltimore into the mid-1960s and I have seen photos of it on the C&O, NKP, and some of the New England RRs.
HmmHmm??! For some reason my ability to insert a “live link” seems to have deserted me!!!Sad
Your links were easily "live" enough for me to view them, and they included some great photos.
Wayne
Hmm??! For some reason my ability to insert a “live link” seems to have deserted me!!!
CP, Woodstock, Ontario, 1984 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
CP, Lobo, Ontario, 1986 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
C&O, Kenova, West Virginia, 1982 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
I was fortunate to have taken part in a cab ride in an old New York Central F unit from Buffalo to Cleveland in the mid-1970s (Penn Central, actually).
The "train" was eleven locomotives and seven cabooses returning to Collinwood to "rebalance" equipment. What a fun ride!
There are Emery Goulash films of some MTA cars being ferried from St. Louis to NYC and an extra caboose was provided for the "riders" that were supervising the move.
Regards, Ed