Caboose for local service
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could you elaborate on this? what difference does the name make ? what possibly can a union have against a name?
It's not that the unions have anything against the name, it due to the agreements and arbitrary payments owed to the crews. Back in the day when crews were bigger and cabooses were required on certain jobs, if they was no caboose available, the crew was paid "extra" for not having one, and having to ride on the end of a boxcar. Later, I think in our (BNSF) agreement from 1985, the caboose was bargained away due to the FRED and later the ETD. A caboose techinically has to have working quarters inside, and was used with the 4 and 5 man crews. Nowdays, according to the 85 agreement, BNSF does not have a caboose on the property...only a shove platform, and if you see one... you will see the words shove platform stenciled right on it.
The shove platform eliminates the crew getting paid HO pay(hanging on more than 2 miles) when their job has to shove back and a member of the crew had to hang on the side of a car. (HO pays a crew member $25) If we claim HO pay (for instance at Kaiser CA), they pay will get declined account there is a shove platform available for our use. If we don't use it, thats our problem.
Basically, it's corporate America and their cutbacks. Lawyers finding ways how to stop paying arbitraries that have been paid for decades.
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NYC_George
Well-Known Member
The caboose
I can give you a list of what a caboose was used for in the seventies maybe they still use them for the same reasons today.
1. Back then the 5 man crew law was in effect.
Engineer, fireman and head end brakeman road the engine, conductor and rear end brakeman stayed in the caboose.
2. It gave the conductor a place to get his waybills organized.
3. In some cases was left out to protect the main.
4. Nice warm shelter to get out of the rain, snow and cold for a while.
5. A great place for everyone to have coffee break & lunch and let everyone know what the plan for the day was. The only thing I miss about the railroad was those lunches in the caboose.
6. Some times you would be stuck in the clear waiting for hours for another train to pass. The caboose gave you a place to lie down and get some rest for the trip home.
NYC_George
I can give you a list of what a caboose was used for in the seventies maybe they still use them for the same reasons today.
1. Back then the 5 man crew law was in effect.
Engineer, fireman and head end brakeman road the engine, conductor and rear end brakeman stayed in the caboose.
2. It gave the conductor a place to get his waybills organized.
3. In some cases was left out to protect the main.
4. Nice warm shelter to get out of the rain, snow and cold for a while.
5. A great place for everyone to have coffee break & lunch and let everyone know what the plan for the day was. The only thing I miss about the railroad was those lunches in the caboose.
6. Some times you would be stuck in the clear waiting for hours for another train to pass. The caboose gave you a place to lie down and get some rest for the trip home.
NYC_George
I think it's probably because they will need a place for brakemen to ride while switching. Also since a lot of times the train will be travelling backwards for a good distance on switching moves it works as a lookout post so someone on the platform can see a lot better than the crew all the way back in the locomotive who's view would be blocked by high boxcars and stuff. Another job they do is protect the main line while the locomotive is switching.
Laidoffsick
3 Railer
A Local has a 3 man crew, conductor, brakeman, and engineer. These days we (BNSF) don't even call it a caboose due to union agreements. It's a "shove platform" with all the door and windows welded shut. We us it to ride on when having to shove a long ways in 1 direction so the brakeman and/or conductor don't have to hang on the side of a car for miles at a time.
We (BNSF, yes I am a conductor there) have a shove platform on the Pasadena Local that we keep out at Miller Brewing at Irwindale. We we go to Monrovia to spot the corn hoppers we take the "caboose". To get back to Irwindale from Monrovia, we have to shove all the way back. The shove platform allows the conductor and brakeman to ride on the platform to protect the shove.
The Corona Local also uses one, that pretty much has been restored to fully operational by the crew that used to work the job. It gets locked up with the power now to keep it safe.
We (BNSF, yes I am a conductor there) have a shove platform on the Pasadena Local that we keep out at Miller Brewing at Irwindale. We we go to Monrovia to spot the corn hoppers we take the "caboose". To get back to Irwindale from Monrovia, we have to shove all the way back. The shove platform allows the conductor and brakeman to ride on the platform to protect the shove.
The Corona Local also uses one, that pretty much has been restored to fully operational by the crew that used to work the job. It gets locked up with the power now to keep it safe.
tankist
Active Member
could you elaborate on this? what difference does the name make ? what possibly can a union have against a name?
trainman1980
Member
Check out some of my videos and you'll see the red MOPac caboose on the local to the Pine Bluff arsenal.The Pine Bluff Arsenal requires UP to have a caboose when switching there.
Laidoffsick
3 Railer
It's not that the unions have anything against the name, it due to the agreements and arbitrary payments owed to the crews. Back in the day when crews were bigger and cabooses were required on certain jobs, if they was no caboose available, the crew was paid "extra" for not having one, and having to ride on the end of a boxcar. Later, I think in our (BNSF) agreement from 1985, the caboose was bargained away due to the FRED and later the ETD. A caboose techinically has to have working quarters inside, and was used with the 4 and 5 man crews. Nowdays, according to the 85 agreement, BNSF does not have a caboose on the property...only a shove platform, and if you see one... you will see the words shove platform stenciled right on it.
The shove platform eliminates the crew getting paid HO pay(hanging on more than 2 miles) when their job has to shove back and a member of the crew had to hang on the side of a car. (HO pays a crew member $25) If we claim HO pay (for instance at Kaiser CA), they pay will get declined account there is a shove platform available for our use. If we don't use it, thats our problem.
Basically, it's corporate America and their cutbacks. Lawyers finding ways how to stop paying arbitraries that have been paid for decades.
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a commision from some of the links and ads shown on this website (Learn More Here)