One major purpose for a transfer caboose was to provide a way of getting the paperwork from one yard to another, in good shape and out of the weather. You couldn't just tuck it into the end ladder or rear coupler of a transfer cut.
On Japanese railways of my era (and on my layout) there were (are) a variety of 'brakes,' - freight cars with a crew compartment at one end. Compared to those, a transfer caboose is the lap of luxury.
Chuck [Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - including a pig (oink) brake]
If one comes to Iowa during the regular season (Memorial Day thru October) you can ride a transfer caboose at the Boone & Scenic Valley. They have an old CNW transfer caboose veing used as an open air car.
http://www.bsvrr.com/images/equipment/Valley%20View/valleyview.jpg
Jeff
BRAKIEI do recall the PC (exNYC) transfer cabooses as rough riders.
I only rode one once and it was on, well, a transfer run. Yard limit speeds. The NYC 21000 series bay window cabooses rode nice, especially on a Flexi-Van train at 65!
Here's a shot of a transfer caboose:
And a nice model of it from Bluford Shops:
Happy Modeling, Ed
Be sure not to assume bay window cabeese were transfer cabeese.
SP&S had a bunch of bay window cabeese that they got from NP. Truth be told, I am not sure if SP&S had any transfer cabeese at all.
I saw and photographed a GN transfer caboose derived from a Baldwin V-1000 in Klamath Falls. Pretty neat, I say to you. GN also had a bunch of cabeese with their cupolas removed--I guess they must have been transfers. So what did NP do with their bay window woodies? Chop off the bays??????
Ed
In many cases older, wooden cabooses were used in transfer service (some with their cupola's removed) but they were becoming less road worthy. That is my understanding this was the main reason why cars were built specifially for that service. Some of the transfer cabooses built by the NYC were used out here in the Midwest in local switch runs during PC days. I remember seeing one in service at Sturgis, Michigan. Sturgis had three branchlines there.
Victor A. Baird
Fort Wayne, Indiana.
gmpullmanMy understanding was that because of U.T.U. agreements for road crews, those cabooses required additional "creature comforts" whereas the transfer caboose allowed the railroad to employ a simpler (cheaper) car that met the bare essentials for crew comfort.
And it freed up road cabooses for road use. The transfer caboose was just a place to get out of the weather and a safe haven from rock throwers.
Most was made from old 40' boxcars and sheet steel and the reason behind the plated over windows was due to the FRA mandate of shatter proof glass. The railroads found it cheaper to plate over the windows then replace the glass.
I do recall the PC (exNYC) transfer cabooses as rough riders.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
The MILW transfer cabooses also had some railing up top. This gave a better place for a man to stand and relay hand signals. Before radios, sometimes you needed 3-4 men on the ground to have enough guys to relay signals around turns and such.
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
Many transfer cabooses just have a space to get out of the rain. Also, many were built with very heavy duty frames to withstand the constant buff forces from the stop/start nature of their service. GN used old Baldwin switcher frames to build transfer cabooses(complete withe the switcher trucks). The Milwaukee built transfer cabooses using retired steam engine tender frames...
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
My understanding was that because of U.T.U. agreements for road crews, those cabooses required additional "creature comforts" whereas the transfer caboose allowed the railroad to employ a simpler (cheaper) car that met the bare essentials for crew comfort.
A few of the Penn Central, ex NYC transfer cabooses I was on in the '70s were nothing more than boxes set on flat cars. No bunks, no hopper, no water, no ice-box, they did have an oil stove though. Some railroads even plated over most, or all) of the windows, this was more of a safety feature since the cars were easy targets for rock throwers and shooters!