My Lionel bay window caboose (NY Central; 9174) has couplers at either end, suggesting that this car should sit in the middle of the train.
Question: In actual railroading, were bay window cabooses positioned at the rear of the train? Or somewhere in the middle?
Gulf Oil
Here in the U.K. Brake Vans (Cabooses) are at the rear of a train.
The reason for couplers at either end was so the van did not have to be turned on a locomotive turntable.
The bay windows are for the Guard to look and see where he and the train was.
I am sure it is the same in the U.S.A., but I could be corrected.
David
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In the era when cabooses were used, they went at the rear of the train.
All cabooses, real cabooses and most model ones I've seen, have couplers at either end. Cabooses are bidirectional. There is no right or wrong way to have it orientated. Some have the cupola offset. Even some bay window cabooses had the bay window somewhat offset. Doesn't matter. Cabooses were used as they were pulled off the caboose track at a terminal. They wouldn't normally turn a caboose, on a turntable or wye, at the end of the run to have face a certain way.
Jeff
The only 'rail car' I can think of that only has a coupler on one end would be a Rotary Snowplow - it would not have a coupler on the rotary end. Even wedge type snowplows had couplers on both ends of the car to facilitate movement around rail yards.
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Gulf Oil My Lionel bay window caboose (NY Central; 9174) has couplers at either end, suggesting that this car should sit in the middle of the train. Question: In actual railroading, were bay window cabooses positioned at the rear of the train? Or somewhere in the middle? Gulf Oil
Cabooses could be anywhere in a train depending upon the requirements of a railroad's operating plan. The caboose displaying markers to the rear denoted the END of a train that was identified in Train Orders issued by the Train Dispatcher or having Timetable Schedule authority to operate.
A number of Local Freights on my carrier utilized two cabooses - one next to the engines and one on the rear - this facilitated the train moving in both directions as it could have markers displayed on either end as necessary .
Another train on my carrier operated with a caboose in the middle of its train from its origin to the next to last terminal on its route. The caboose denoted the 'cut point' between cars that were destined to the final destination of the train and the cars that were destined to the next to last terminal. A yard crew made the cut in the train behind the mid-train caboose and the head end of the train continued to destination with the rear end crew having ridden with the yard engine that made the cut to get on 'their' caboose.
BaltACDA number of Local Freights on my carrier utilized two cabooses - one next to the engines and one on the rear - this facilitated the train moving in both directions as it could have markers displayed on either end as necessary .
Another reason for having the two cabooses on a local was that the one right behind the engine was for the conductor (and maybe the front brakeman if there was a fireman) and the caboose on the rear was for the flagman.