Role of the caboose on modern railroads?


C

clayguthrie

Member
The local yard has an old BN caboose that i see attached to trains a lot. I actually spotted it on the line yesterday from a distance on what appeared to be a gondola train.

So i was wondering, what job does the caboose perform these days? The conductor rides in the cab, so why even use the caboose?
 
Thats odd. Where is this exaclty that you seen it?

I haven't seen a caboose in years. At least in the Denver area with UP and BNSF as the major Railroads.
 
Usually when i see it, it's in the yard at Chaffee Missouri. Yesterday i saw it southbound at Sikeston Missouri. If i had time i would turned around and got some photos.
 
They are used as shoving platforms for backing moves, usually where there are grade crossings. The conductor rides the caboose, blows the air whistle for grade crossings, and watches for track problems and to spot cars.
 
clayguthrie said:
The local yard has an old BN caboose that i see attached to trains a lot. I actually spotted it on the line yesterday from a distance on what appseared to be a gondola train.

So i was wondering, what job does the caboose perform these days? The conductor rides in the cab, so why even use the caboose?
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If it is like the one here in Denver they us it on a stub ended branch. The train pulls the full cars out and has to push them back. During the push motion the conductor rides in the back of the caboose and watches where the train is going. He is on the radio to the engineer.
 
I'm sure it has multiple jobs. But, i found it yesterday! Right here in Sikeston they were using it as part of the ongoing maintenance that BNSF is doing down the line. It was hooked behind 6-8 Herzog gondola's that i'm assuming is being used as a ballast train. They are replacing ties and doing some undercutting it appears from what i could see on lunch.

Every time i pass the yard just about i see the caboose in Chaffee... so it has a job. I'm young but this is the only caboose i've ever seen that was actually on the rails.
 
They are AKA "shoving platforms" these days. They are used where there has to be a long reverse movement & there's no place to turn the engine &/or train. This allows the conductor to ride on the caboose & give track conditions (signal aspects, grade Xings, etc) to the hogger via radio. Worked a BNSF La Mirada job to Irvine CA on San Bernardino & Metrolink Orange Subs. Then we backed all the way to the north end of the Olive Sub. We went back all the way to La Mirada forward via the wye in Orange.
 
Well, well, well then. I'm glad I picked up an ATSF one the at the last buy and sell I went to. Means I've got an excuse to run it on a modern train as well :p
 
clayguthrie said:
I'm sure it has multiple jobs. But, i found it yesterday! Right here in Sikeston they were using it as part of the ongoing maintenance that BNSF is doing down the line. It was hooked behind 6-8 Herzog gondola's that i'm assuming is being used as a ballast train. They are replacing ties and doing some undercutting it appears from what i could see on lunch.

Every time i pass the yard just about i see the caboose in Chaffee... so it has a job. I'm young but this is the only caboose i've ever seen that was actually on the rails.
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Correct observation. A few are kept around as MOW cars. Sent out on work trains in remote locations for crew convenience as a place to sit for lunch breaks, etc, and sometimes left on a siding for a temporary office until whatever the project is gets finished.
 
tootnkumin said:
Well, well, well then. I'm glad I picked up an ATSF one the at the last buy and sell I went to. Means I've got an excuse to run it on a modern train as well :p
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They are mostly used on local switch jobs, not long distance manifest trains. But it's possible one would be mixed if it was being transferred between yards or for routine maintenance.
 
They also use them for certain work trains, for example tie pickup and delivery trains.....could be that train of gondolas you saw........anything that requires crew in addition to the loco crew. MRL also has some that were converted to bunk cars.And most MRL locos in the main yards are hooked to a remote control caboose.
 
Motley said:
Thats odd. Where is this exaclty that you seen it?

I haven't seen a caboose in years. At least in the Denver area with UP and BNSF as the major Railroads.
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There are actually three here in the Denver area (that I know of), one in La Salle, and one in Colorado Springs. Two of them (BNSF) are stored over behind the Denver Water building, the 3rd one is in BN colors but it belongs to that railroad that runs the old stock yard tracks. I think it lives just south of I-70 between Colorado & Quebec somewhere. I used to see it backing down from Utah Junction/North Yard around the wye into the 23rd street BNSF yard, and I assume from there onto their own tracks.

Last I knew the one in Colorado Springs was still in D&GRW orange color.
 
Cabeese are alive and well up here!

These two were on a CWR train in Portage La Prairie, MB:
 
Kick the can

I have been riding around my town and down in the Mayfield Yard I have seen CSX bouncing the old Chessie caboose around and I can't figure out what they really do with it.
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I think they play "Kick the Can" with it seriously!
 
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