I've never seen one in person, but I've seen photos of "transfer cabooses." I'm not sure that's something that's still used today, or has been relegated to the past.
it appears to me that the primary characteristics are a small cabin and really big end platforms.
I assume that the cabin can be small because there would be no need for bunk space, or maybe even table space, in transfer use. But why such big platforms?
Any other basic info about transfer cabooses would be appreciated.
Still in training.
Transfer cabooses are/were often repurposed cars - say, a boxcar, with the box replaced by the small cabin.
They probably ride better than, say, a "bobber" caboose.
Nowadays they generally use old cabeese, with all the windows plated over, as "shove platforms."
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Ah, so the big platforms are just a by-product.
Now, I like "cabeese." But one must also consider using the Latin-derived "Cabi," with a long I.
Lithonia OperatorBut one must also consider using the Latin-derived "Cabi," with a long I.
Only if your road called one of them a "Cabus".
As violent an affront to Latin as trying to pretend the plural of 'duplex' is "duplexii".
Fortunately the language is already long dead, so necrophilia technically does little additional damage...
By the way, etymologically the closest thing is "caboosen"...
You can also consider such variations as cabin car, waycar or van.
The most unique transfer cabooses I saw were four cabins that were placed on retired Baldwin VO1000 frames by the Great Northern.
Please see GNRHS Reference Sheet 216. Photos of examples are on pages 79 and 80 of Del Grosso's "Burlington Northern Railroad Cabooses, 1970-1995".
Ed Burns
The Milwaukee Road home crafted some transfer cabooses using the frames of retired steam locomotive tenders - those would also be very strong frames.
Dave Nelson
Older cabooses downgraded from main line service also ended up as transfer/yard cabooses. Union contracts often called for yards to have a caboose available for use when having to work industries off the main track and/or long shoving moves to/from the yard. They still do, except now the new term is 'shoving platform' instead of caboose. Pictures of Rock Island yard jobs in and around the Chicago area from many years ago, show old down graded wood and steel cabooses in such service.
Around Council Bluffs/Omaha the BNSF uses an old extended vision caboose for transfer runs to the UP and one on their local that goes to Bayard, IA on the exMILW. The CN has what amounts to a phone booth on a flat car for making transfer runs to UP and BNSF and going to their isolated trackage on the Omaha side. Except I don't recall a door, it's open to either side to the weather and has a window in the ends. The UP uses some old bay window cabooses of UP and MP ancestory for some local industry switch jobs.
Jeff
When I first saw CSX's bulletin about "shoving platforms" I envisioned something like a hunter's tree stand that would attach to a freight car.
mvlandsw When I first saw CSX's bulletin about "shoving platforms" I envisioned something like a hunter's tree stand that would attach to a freight car.
Interesting concept. There would never be one where you needed it, though...
There are standards in the various labor contracts as well as FRA rules that specify how a caboose must be equipped and maintained. Those rules do not apply to shoving platforms.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
tree68Interesting concept. There would never be one where you needed it, though...
It would be made so you could strap it on your back, with a handy docking point for your collapsible brakestick...
Aren't you glad the world went in a different direction?
BaltACD There are standards in the various labor contracts as well as FRA rules that specify how a caboose must be equipped and maintained. Those rules do not apply to shoving platforms.
If it's a caboose and the interior is accessible, the interior equipment has to be maintained. If non-accessible then the interior equipment doesn't have to be maintained. That's why doors are either locked with mechanical dept. locks or welded shut for many cabooses in shoving service.
India Railroad seems to have standardized on what I would call transfer cabooses on all of their freight trains.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW7xQblJY0M
Euclid India Railroad seems to have standardized on what I would call transfer cabooses on all of their freight trains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW7xQblJY0M
It reminds me of the last caboose design used by Missouri Pacific and others.
https://www.psrm.org/trains/cabooses/mopac-13936/
Neat video. IMO, any caboose is way better than none.
Lithonia Operator Euclid India Railroad seems to have standardized on what I would call transfer cabooses on all of their freight trains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW7xQblJY0M Neat video. IMO, any caboose is way better than none.
Until you ride in one and the Engineer has little regard for slack action.
CNW, which had little imagination, put small cabins on top of flat cars...probably the shortest cabins in relation to the total car length ever.Their crews had plenty of imagination, though--just ask anybody old enough what a "kidney-shaker" was!
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
CShaveRR CNW, which had little imagination, put small cabins on top of flat cars...probably the shortest cabins in relation to the total car length ever.Their crews had plenty of imagination, though--just ask anybody old enough what a "kidney-shaker" was!
To put a time on this subject: [a copy from Wikipedia on cabooses..]
FTA"...A 1982 Presidential Emergency Board convened under the Railway Labor Act directed United States railroads to begin eliminating caboose cars where possible to do so.[5] A legal exception was the state of Virginia, which had a 1911 law mandating cabooses on the ends of trains, until the law's final repeal in 1988. With this exception aside, year by year, cabooses started to fade away.[6] Very few cabooses remain in operation today, though they are still used for some local trains where it is convenient to have a brakeman at the end of the train to operate switches, on long reverse movements, and are also used on trains carrying hazardous materials..."
And from a TRAINS Forum: from June2005]
"What is the offical reason why railroads dont use cabooses any more"
Linked @ http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/39940.aspx
TRAINS posters give some more insight.
I am surprised that that says the government "directed" the railroads to eliminate cabooses. I would have would thought they said it was OKAY to get rid of cabooses.
Lithonia Operator I am surprised that that says the government "directed" the railroads to eliminate cabooses. I would have would thought they said it was OKAY to get rid of cabooses.
Because the government didn't direct the railroads to eliminate cabooses. A Presidential Emergency Board is convened when labor and the carriers can't come to an agreement on a contract. The PEB can make recommendations that either side can reject. Then congress can impose a solution. Usually what the PEB recommendation was.
Even then, I doubt the actual wording or intent of the wording was to "direct" the railroads to remove cabooses, except where required by state laws. (I believe Nebraska didn't repeal their's until 1984.) It would probably be more along the lines of the "railroads are directed to remove cabooses from trains at their descretion." It allows the removal, doesn't mandate it. Especially since it only applies to parties of the contract dispute.
I assumed that the RRs were "directed" to remove cabooses for safety reasons, as crew were injured in cabooses because sudden slack action on longer trains, and it was safer move them to the loco.
Here is the findings and recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board 195. The portion about cabooses begins on page 15 of the document. The actual board recommendations begins on page 17.
It does not "direct" railroads to remove cabooses. It says that subject to other arbitraion, the railroads have the right to eliminate cabooses on other-than-through freight trains and up to 25% of cabooses on through freight trains for the life of the contract. It was the beginning of the end for the end car of the train.
https://static.smart-union.org/worksite/PDFs/PEBS/peb195.pdf
Lithonia OperatorI assume that the cabin can be small because there would be no need for bunk space, or maybe even table space, in transfer use. But why such big platforms?
It could depend on local laws too. Here in Minnesota, the Railway Act of 1911 mandated all cabooses be at least 24' long and have at least two four-wheel trucks.
BTW if you look at a sideview of one of DM&IR's typical three-window wood cabooses (like the one offered in HO by Walthers) long enough, you'll see that they were made by combining two two-window bobber cabooses into one longer caboose because of that law.
https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/dm-and-ir-caboose-1-john-brueske.jpg
BRC's cabooses resembled bobbers but were on a slightly longer frame and were also mounted on two four-wheel trucks.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4186352
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