Caboose's and city switching

[Anonymous]

I realize this is a rather general question and it would probably depend on the railroad but does anyone know if a caboose would be used on a train that was switching in a city during the 30's and 40's? Say a terminal railroad or a Belt line. I'm not talking about a train dropping a cut of cars for that city but the switch crew that switched the local industries in a large city. Thanks for the help.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Good question. I don't know for sure, the answer may be some did and some didn't. On the one hand, the caboose was the conductor's office, and there is a fair amount of paperwork associated with picking up and setting out cars. On the other hand, if there wasn't a lot of room to move a caboose would get in the way.

If they did bring a caboose, at some point it would have to be cut off and left behind while the actual switching was done. It may have had more to do with the distance that had to be traveled, and the length of time the run was expected to take.

[Javern]

this may be dumb but is a caboose always on the tail end? or can they have cars behind them, to like drop off at industry and such. Seems like every photo I see shows a caboose as the last car

[Big_Boy_4005]

Always and never are pretty strong terms. Generally, yes the caboose was on the tail end of the train. One reason they had either a cupola or bay window was so the crew could see the train and watch for mechanical problems with the cars. During switching operations, the caboose could be next to the engine or sitting uncoupled.

I would say that it was frowned upon to switch with the caboose, though sometimes it had to be done. You just didn't want to spill the conductor's coffee.[swg]

[Anonymous]

MW,
Great reply, Can some one suggest a source for more information like this ?
I have also seen in many posts about yards that there should be a separate track for cabooses.
Can anyone describe where this track should be in relation to the yard facilities and what it would typically look like. ( pictures anyone ?)

[dehusman]

Normally the caboose track is close to the switching lead or accessible from the switching lead. It might have a small shanty or building to store supplies(forms, flagging materials, coal/oil, knuckles, air hoses, etc) and have a water hose. The cabooses would be put into the track before switching the cut. A carman would inspect the caboose and a clerk would service it (or carman in some places).

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

In these parts, the only daily train runs from a yard to a steel mill about six miles. Because of the way the tracks are laid at the steel mill, they can't run around an entire train. Or something like that. Whatever the reason is, they have to back the train from the yard to the mill the entire way. In this case, the caboose is on the front end of the train 50% of the time with a guy standing there on the platform making sure they didn't run into anything. There's only one grade crossing in that six miles (lots of bridges), so I assume its mainlly to see if they ran into another train.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill

Technically, it is probably not a caboose you are seeing -- it's a shoving platform that used to be a caboose. Often, the doors are welded shut to keep crewmembers from using them for anything other than their intended purpose as a shoving platform.

Its definitely still a caboose. I've crewmen sitting in the bay window on the way back to the yard before.

[BRAKIE]

Speaking as a former brakeman that work city locals .You see the conductor and rear brakeman still need a place to ride and the conductor still has his paper work to do.So a caboose was very handy to have even on a terminal railroad or a Belt line.
Now don't bet the farm the caboose would always be found on the end..It could be right behind the engine or in the middle of the train.You see you must keep your local WORKABLE if you don't you will have one big unworkable mess you call a local.[:0][B)][8]

Here is some pictures of terminal railroad cabooses.

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/brc/brc-c220ads.jpg

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-t/trra-c579amh.jpg

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-t/trra-c579amh.jpg
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Even today some city locals carry cabooses as was mention..

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/csx/nyc21114bdm.jpg

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/csx/csxt16600amh.jpg

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ns/ns555089ajt.jpg

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BRAKIE

Speaking as a former brakeman that work city locals .You see the conductor and rear brakeman still need a place to ride and the conductor still has his paper work to do.So a caboose was very handy to have even on a terminal railroad or a Belt line.
Now don't bet the farm the caboose would always be found on the end..It could be right behind the engine or in the middle of the train.You see you must keep your local WORKABLE if you don't you will have one big unworkable mess you call a local.[:0][B)][8]

Here is some pictures of terminal railroad cabooses.

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/brc/brc-c220ads.jpg

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-t/trra-c579amh.jpg

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-t/trra-c579amh.jpg
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Even today some city locals carry cabooses as was mention..

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/csx/nyc21114bdm.jpg

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/csx/csxt16600amh.jpg

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ns/ns555089ajt.jpg

Nice links Brakie, I especially like those first 2. They are exactly the kind of thing that Strider1 should see based on his question. They are all extra short, no bay window or cuopla. Simply a rolling office, and small, for tight situations. From a modeling perspective, they look like a nice kitbashing project. Take the middle out of a normal caboose and put the ends back together.

Where's Jetrock? This stuff is right up his "street".[swg]

Here's an example of what Mark is talking about. The Minnesota Commercial has no cabooses. One of the runs takes them to the northeast suburbs. There is a lonely customer at the far north end of the line, a lumber yard. The track is facing point with no runaround, except 6 miles south. Of course there are public roads to be crossed, so some poor guy has to ride the last car, in any weather. Burrrrrr!!! [:0][:(][swg]

And to think, I actually applied for that job a number of years ago. Part of me is glad I didn't get it.[;)]

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all for answering my question, and thanks to BRAKIE for the pics.

[Jetrock]

Indeed, a lot of photos I've seen of belt-line switching include a caboose. One interurban line turned freight hauler, Central California Traction, turned a couple of its older box motors into cabeese when they switched to diesel power and couldn't find any other use for their wood-body box motors! One thing I noticed is that many electric lines kept the caboose right behind the freight motor, maybe a holdover from the days when the whole crew worked from inside the box motor! I think they also used the caboose as a "transfer caboose" to push cars into sidings that did not have overhead trolley wire.

Watching switching around Sacramento, I note a lot of crews on locals riding the footboards, but no cabeese, sadly enough.