Whatever happened to the 'ol caboose?

[Anonymous]

Cabooses were needed when they had full crews. Most times it was a fairly comfortable place to do the paperwork you had to do. But many a person was injured in a short stop or wreck falling down from the cupola seat. Some were hurt just trying to get down to the lower level. But to me a freight without a caboose, cabin, or whatever does not look right. Bernt T.

[Anonymous]

Now that you explain it, the answer seems so obvious. [:I]

Thank you for taking the time to explain it.

[Anonymous]

Now that you explain it, the answer seems so obvious. [:I]

Thank you for taking the time to explain it.

[mudchicken]

Shove: When a train or switch engines back up/ push cars for a long distance. (Let Ed tell you the evils of "shoving blind", I just got stuck fixing the damage, Usually at 2AM)

The back porch of a caboose is where you want to be if its a long shove. You have a protected place to stand, a light, a whistle (usually), a more effective radio (usually) and your arms are not in danger of falling off after hanging onto a rung for what feels like hours.

[mudchicken]

Shove: When a train or switch engines back up/ push cars for a long distance. (Let Ed tell you the evils of "shoving blind", I just got stuck fixing the damage, Usually at 2AM)

The back porch of a caboose is where you want to be if its a long shove. You have a protected place to stand, a light, a whistle (usually), a more effective radio (usually) and your arms are not in danger of falling off after hanging onto a rung for what feels like hours.

[Anonymous]

Ouch -- never thought much about collisions. I guess that wouldn't be a good place to be.

One thing I'm confused about, there are references to cabooses being used for shoving platforms? What does that mean -- how is it used for that purpose?

How long do you guys go hanging on the side of a car on a really long shove (when you've done this)? More than a mile? I imagine there must have been instances of people falling off?

[Anonymous]

Ouch -- never thought much about collisions. I guess that wouldn't be a good place to be.

One thing I'm confused about, there are references to cabooses being used for shoving platforms? What does that mean -- how is it used for that purpose?

How long do you guys go hanging on the side of a car on a really long shove (when you've done this)? More than a mile? I imagine there must have been instances of people falling off?

[enr2099]

Canadian Pacific's E&N Division(now Rail America's Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway) got rid of cabeese(Vans, as they're known in Canada) in the early 1990's. Road freights lost the caboose in 1992, they were still used on work trains up until 2001 when Rail America sent the E&N's last caboose to the McKenzie Northern Railway in Edmonton, AB. Yard and switch jobs, such as the Nanaimo Uptown Switch job, and the Victoria Terminal switch job lost the caboose in the mid-1980's.

Canadian National stopped using the caboose on it's Vancouver Island operations in 1981.

[enr2099]

Canadian Pacific's E&N Division(now Rail America's Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway) got rid of cabeese(Vans, as they're known in Canada) in the early 1990's. Road freights lost the caboose in 1992, they were still used on work trains up until 2001 when Rail America sent the E&N's last caboose to the McKenzie Northern Railway in Edmonton, AB. Yard and switch jobs, such as the Nanaimo Uptown Switch job, and the Victoria Terminal switch job lost the caboose in the mid-1980's.

Canadian National stopped using the caboose on it's Vancouver Island operations in 1981.

[mudchicken]

FRED comments aside, the one place you do not want to be is in the caboose during a collision. Cabeese historically are the first thing to fold-up in a collision(brittle, not much for structural integrity). In lieu of a caboose, wish more places had a brake hose (air whistle and gladhand) connected to the air hose on the end car for long shoves.

(And Ed, you might explain what your arms feel like after hanging on the side of a covered hopper , boxcar or gon on a really long shove. (not the arm hanging on to the radio)........i.e. Why are your arms three inches longer than everybody elses?)

[mudchicken]

FRED comments aside, the one place you do not want to be is in the caboose during a collision. Cabeese historically are the first thing to fold-up in a collision(brittle, not much for structural integrity). In lieu of a caboose, wish more places had a brake hose (air whistle and gladhand) connected to the air hose on the end car for long shoves.

(And Ed, you might explain what your arms feel like after hanging on the side of a covered hopper , boxcar or gon on a really long shove. (not the arm hanging on to the radio)........i.e. Why are your arms three inches longer than everybody elses?)

[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.

[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

[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. [:)]

[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.

[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

[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.

[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]

[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?

[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

[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).