Cabeese?

[Roadtrp]

When did the railroads stop using a caboose on the end of freight trains?

Thanks! [:)]

[Anonymous]

Off the top of my head I want to say the early 80s. It might have been the late 70s but for some reason I just feel like sometime in the 80s.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm, perhaps some still use cabeese acasionaly. I saw a Chessie System caboose at the end of a CSX train the other day...........

[n2mopac]

Varries somewhat by road and region, but it was early 80's generally. I was in middle school in 80, 81, 82 and I remember the MoPac still pulling cabooses at that time. The memory is vivid because my middle school was right next to the Sedalia sub main. Talk about hard to concentrate.
Ron

P.S. I often complain about nondescriptive topic titles. Thanks for a title that is not only descriptive of your topic, but more importantly made me laugh. [(-D] Thanks.

[Eriediamond]

Roadtrp, the cabeese? era came to an end near the middle 80's. However some are still used today on local switching operations in metropolitan areas in the form of "transfer cabooses" as shoving strings of cars along tracks with crossings still require warning whistles and crossing protection, which these cabooses perform. To Big-Boy, That Cheesie caboose was probably in transit to someone who purchased it. It was on the end of the train because of it being in storage and not maintained for so many years and less likely to cause major problems if in the middle or front end of the train. Thanks, Ken

[n2mopac]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Eriediamond

Roadtrp, the cabeese? era came to an end near the middle 80's. However some are still used today on local switching operations in metropolitan areas in the form of "transfer cabooses" as shoving strings of cars along tracks with crossings still require warning whistles and crossing protection, which these cabooses perform. To Big-Boy, That Cheesie caboose was probably in transit to someone who purchased it. It was on the end of the train because of it being in storage and not maintained for so many years and less likely to cause major problems if in the middle or front end of the train. Thanks, Ken

This is true. I know BNSF uses an old BN caboose full time in swithching at Saginaw yard in Saginaw, TX, but they never use one in switching at North Yard just 2 miles away. I'm not sure the reason here.
Ron

[Noah Hofrichter]

I can affirm what eriediamond said too, as the Wiconsin andSouthern uses one ot protect a shove out of madison Wi on what is known as the Cottage grove sub. It's only ten miles long, and I would guess there's no passing track on the end of the sub.

Noah

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Eriediamond

Roadtrp, the cabeese? era came to an end near the middle 80's. However some are still used today on local switching operations in metropolitan areas in the form of "transfer cabooses" as shoving strings of cars along tracks with crossings still require warning whistles and crossing protection, which these cabooses perform. To Big-Boy, That Cheesie caboose was probably in transit to someone who purchased it. It was on the end of the train because of it being in storage and not maintained for so many years and less likely to cause major problems if in the middle or front end of the train. Thanks, Ken

Actually, now that I think about it, it was 3 cars from the end. It was cool though, a bay window, probably from the C&O![:D][;)]

[Anonymous]

In the Powder River Basin, Cabooses stopped being used in the BN in the Late 80s. However in 1991 during Desert Storm with alot of Military Movements Cabooses came back with a vengence and Didn't disapear again until Mid 92. BNSF in Casper, Gournsey, and Grabull still use cabooses for Local switching. The cabooses have been outfited with some kind of signal or control box, Im not sure exactly, But it effectivly allows a brakeman to stand on the caboose plat form and control the train movement by adjusting the brake pressure.

If anyone knows more about it, I would be greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

The very first railroad to quit using cabooses was the Florida East Coast, which started running cabooseless trains in 1965! As others have indicated, it was at least 20 years until anyone else did. Apparently Virginia used to have a law that forced the railroads to have cabooses on all freight trains and so there still lots of cabooses there while eslewhere they were disappearing. It was the late 80's here in Canada. CN stopped using cabooses maybe a year before CP did.

[Anonymous]

I think a few northeastern railroads used cabooses until the very late 80's and a few southern railroads (CSX and NS) used them into the mid to late 90's on mine runs. I know a lot of CSAO (Conrail Shared Assets) , CSX, and NS locals in NY, PA, and NJ still use cabooses pretty often. I see ex CR baywindows all the time.

[StillGrande]

Still run across them occasionally out here. Saw one leading a train down a siding near DC on a unit coal train a few months ago. If I remember correctly, it was CSX. The crew was riding on the porch enjoying the view.

[Anonymous]

Cabooses are still found in some yards. I saw a few in Duluth MN's large yard, last Thursday from the Blatnik bridge. One was an old N.P. 24 foot woody painted in BN colors. I think I occasionally see one being pulled behind a local on the old GN/NP main, between Osseo and Little Falls Minnesota on the BNSF. When I have seen this one it is a wide vision. I think the last time I saw this was only a few years ago, however it may be longer than this.

[Anonymous]

Recently an old conrail was dropped off in the ACY yard in akron months ago. I've been driving by it try to gt a photo but it always seems to be behind a tree or in between cars. They are still used in local switching. But remember it's your layout and your world you can do anything you want with it. If you do plan to do use a caboose on a modern layout a heavy coat of weathering and some patches will make it more athentic.
Andy

[Roadtrp]

Thanks for all the information guys! Given my time-frame I figure I can run my trains with a caboose or not, as I desire.

I chose my modeling period to be the "glory years" of the F40PH at Amtrak -- roughly 1976 - 1999. That covers a lot of territory, and that is what I wanted. I'm a rookie, and I wanted to be able to use a wide variety of modern diesels and rolling stock. I figure if anything I have ran at SOME time when the F40PH was in use, I'm OK.

Personally, I can't get used to the look of a freight train without a caboose. It seems to me like an airplane without a tail. It just ain't right. So realistic or not, every freight train I run will have a caboose. Because that is the way that God intended it to be. [;)]

[Anonymous]

I feel the same way about caboose I recently tried an operating session without cabooses and it just didn't look right. They also add some operating difficulty because you have to find a suitable place to drop off the cabeese to either drop off or pick up cars.

[AltonFan]

QUOTE: I chose my modeling period to be the "glory years" of the F40PH at Amtrak -- roughly 1976 - 1999.

Just about every train travelling through my neck of the woods had cabeese, until the Wisconsin Central took over the former Soo Line. Wisconsin Central trains never had any cabeese. And shortly thereafter, the cabeese began to disappear from the Soo Line/Canadian Pacific and the Chicago and North Western.