Hi all,
On a caboose can you tell me what is the correct allinment on the rails.does the smoake stack run aft of the capula or does it really matter.
regards,
Patrick
Hello Patrick,
Since sooner or later the caboose will be travel back and forth, and since I am not aware of turning the caboose on a wye or turntable as a usual railroad practice in order to position the smoke stack on one end or the other, I think it is safe to say that it really doesn't matter. - Lloyd
That's completely up to the individual railroad, and in general, it didn't matter. Dig through photos of old wood cabooses from various railroads, and you'll see that they were everywhere: behind the cupola, in front of it, FAR in front, to the left, to the right, etc.
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943
Many thanks.
for the info,it never occured to me to look in my stack of classic trains.!!!!!!!!!!!
regards
Cabooses were bi-directional. Some modelers make them uni-directional by having permanent marker lights.
Mark
cabeese are like yard engines. they spend half their life going backwards.
grizlump
Generally if the caboose has an offset cupola, the stack would be on the long part of the roof rather than squeezed in between the cupola and the short end of the roof. Remember the stack generally was connected to a stove that was used to heat the car, so if possible having it somewhere around the middle of the car would get the heat spread thru the entire car best. Of course, cabooses with a center cupola would have to have the stack offset to one side or the other.
As noted, cabooses generally were not turned so would go an offset cupola caboose would go about half the time with the cupola to the rear and half with it towards the front of the train. It didn't really matter, the seats in the cupola (or bay window) were set up so the crew could always be facing the train regardless how the caboose was oriented.