Whatever happened to the 'ol caboose?

[Anonymous]

Can anyone provide a brief history of when cabooses started to disappear and why? I've heard some different reasons over the years, but I don't know if any of them are true.

It's a bit weird -- I remember when I was growing it always seemed that typically all trains had an engine, a bunch of cars and a caboose. Now, with my kids growing up, all the trains we see everyday don't have a caboose anymore. For them, if they ever saw a train with one it would be an oddity. Interesting how time changes things.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone provide a brief history of when cabooses started to disappear and why? I've heard some different reasons over the years, but I don't know if any of them are true.

It's a bit weird -- I remember when I was growing it always seemed that typically all trains had an engine, a bunch of cars and a caboose. Now, with my kids growing up, all the trains we see everyday don't have a caboose anymore. For them, if they ever saw a train with one it would be an oddity. Interesting how time changes things.

[sooblue]

My caboose got bigger with age (oh! wrong forum)
Actualy I miss the caboose, I think that even today they make sense to have on a train but I am not a bean counter.
It's all about beans.
Sooblue

[sooblue]

My caboose got bigger with age (oh! wrong forum)
Actualy I miss the caboose, I think that even today they make sense to have on a train but I am not a bean counter.
It's all about beans.
Sooblue

[Anonymous]

Dumb question...with all of these really long trains, how do the people up in the engines know what's going on 60+ cars back?

[Anonymous]

Dumb question...with all of these really long trains, how do the people up in the engines know what's going on 60+ cars back?

[sooblue]

Exactly,
I don't think FRED can let the engineer know that there is a car stuck under the 89th car of a 100 car freight.
Luckly the woman in the car had a cell phone.
(true story)

[sooblue]

Exactly,
I don't think FRED can let the engineer know that there is a car stuck under the 89th car of a 100 car freight.
Luckly the woman in the car had a cell phone.
(true story)

[JoeKoh]

Yes sadly fred has taken over.However there are a few places where railroads use cabooses on switching duties like the local gm plant here.
stay safe
joe

[JoeKoh]

Yes sadly fred has taken over.However there are a few places where railroads use cabooses on switching duties like the local gm plant here.
stay safe
joe

[eolafan]

I also miss the caboose, not necessarilly because of the safety issue (although that is very important), but for me because it usually had a conductor who waved to us when he went by (they usually had little else to do but watch his/her train and wave to railfans).

[eolafan]

I also miss the caboose, not necessarilly because of the safety issue (although that is very important), but for me because it usually had a conductor who waved to us when he went by (they usually had little else to do but watch his/her train and wave to railfans).

[sooblue]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

I also miss the caboose, not necessarilly because of the safety issue (although that is very important), but for me because it usually had a conductor who waved to us when he went by (they usually had little else to do but watch his/her train and wave to railfans).

Yeh that was great too!
When I was a kid and my buds and I were down on the tracks squashin pennies when the caboose came by we usualy hid in the weeds but know I know that they could see us no problem. [;)]
They never got the dicks on us so they wern't worried about us. They probably knew us just not our names.
Sooblue

[sooblue]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

I also miss the caboose, not necessarilly because of the safety issue (although that is very important), but for me because it usually had a conductor who waved to us when he went by (they usually had little else to do but watch his/her train and wave to railfans).

Yeh that was great too!
When I was a kid and my buds and I were down on the tracks squashin pennies when the caboose came by we usualy hid in the weeds but know I know that they could see us no problem. [;)]
They never got the dicks on us so they wern't worried about us. They probably knew us just not our names.
Sooblue

[Anonymous]

I'm 17, and I remember back when I was little - if I had to guess, maybe up until the late 80s - cabooses were a common sight at the end of Soo Line freight trains (Soo had trackage rights over the C&NW New Line cutoff through town). As far as I can remember it wasn't until about just before kindergarten that the caboose seems to have disappeared. The last time I've ever seen a caboose on a road job was fourth grade - it appeared unoccupied and carried an EOTD, and it was indeed an oddity, having not seen a caboose on the end of a road job in some five years!

However, the caboose is not dead where I live - two to four UP drills come through town each day, all of them with a caboose on the end (I think because the runs usually involve shoving the cars over long distances and several grade crossings...)

Does anyone know when the last road job was run with a caboose in the US?

[Anonymous]

I'm 17, and I remember back when I was little - if I had to guess, maybe up until the late 80s - cabooses were a common sight at the end of Soo Line freight trains (Soo had trackage rights over the C&NW New Line cutoff through town). As far as I can remember it wasn't until about just before kindergarten that the caboose seems to have disappeared. The last time I've ever seen a caboose on a road job was fourth grade - it appeared unoccupied and carried an EOTD, and it was indeed an oddity, having not seen a caboose on the end of a road job in some five years!

However, the caboose is not dead where I live - two to four UP drills come through town each day, all of them with a caboose on the end (I think because the runs usually involve shoving the cars over long distances and several grade crossings...)

Does anyone know when the last road job was run with a caboose in the US?

[Anonymous]

Had some great caboose rides in my younger days. A few still around for tough shoves. Mainly shoving platforms now or on trains with dimensional loads.

LC[8D]

[Anonymous]

Had some great caboose rides in my younger days. A few still around for tough shoves. Mainly shoving platforms now or on trains with dimensional loads.

LC[8D]

[Willy2]

In Omaha at the Amtrak station a local freight often passes by. It always has a caboose.

[Willy2]

In Omaha at the Amtrak station a local freight often passes by. It always has a caboose.

[sooblue]

cabooses are still around. I saw a string of 20 go by on the end of a train and than a few days ago I stopped at a crossing (just for the heck of it, I usually try to beat the train lost only once) and the train was lead with 10 engines. The train was short so I think they were just in transit dead.
Sooblue

[sooblue]

cabooses are still around. I saw a string of 20 go by on the end of a train and than a few days ago I stopped at a crossing (just for the heck of it, I usually try to beat the train lost only once) and the train was lead with 10 engines. The train was short so I think they were just in transit dead.
Sooblue

[Anonymous]

NS still uses cabooses in switching duty around the Pittsburgh Pa area.I saw one on such a move near Emsworth this afternoon.

[Anonymous]

NS still uses cabooses in switching duty around the Pittsburgh Pa area.I saw one on such a move near Emsworth this afternoon.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

Had some great caboose rides in my younger days. A few still around for tough shoves. Mainly shoving platforms now or on trains with dimensional loads.

That's cool. When I was a little kid I always thought that was the greatest job in the world -- being the person riding in the caboose. [:)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

Had some great caboose rides in my younger days. A few still around for tough shoves. Mainly shoving platforms now or on trains with dimensional loads.

That's cool. When I was a little kid I always thought that was the greatest job in the world -- being the person riding in the caboose. [:)]

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Willy2

In Omaha at the Amtrak station a local freight often passes by. It always has a caboose.

Hi Willie! Welcome to the Forum - I am in Lincoln![8D]

Jen

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Willy2

In Omaha at the Amtrak station a local freight often passes by. It always has a caboose.

Hi Willie! Welcome to the Forum - I am in Lincoln![8D]

Jen

[wabash1]

In the famous 1985 contract the reduced crew clause took the caboos away. and replaced it with a eot and a hot . This device reads air pressure lets you know when the rear is moving . it wont get a switch when you pull into the siding or let you know if you have a car with sticking brakes. there is no reason on todays trains to flag the rear of trains . the reason for cabooses today is for the shove moves if you dont have a cab to ride on in a shove move they owe the conductor a days pay for riding what ever car is on the rear. it can get very exspensive. for the railroad.

[wabash1]

In the famous 1985 contract the reduced crew clause took the caboos away. and replaced it with a eot and a hot . This device reads air pressure lets you know when the rear is moving . it wont get a switch when you pull into the siding or let you know if you have a car with sticking brakes. there is no reason on todays trains to flag the rear of trains . the reason for cabooses today is for the shove moves if you dont have a cab to ride on in a shove move they owe the conductor a days pay for riding what ever car is on the rear. it can get very exspensive. for the railroad.