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I am modeling a shortline that is still in operation for my N scale layout.
I have a question - I thought cabooses died decades ago... so why does my Alabama Gulf railroad still use them? Here's a couple pics of what I'm talking about. It's just a one car, simple local job - but yet there is a caboose at the end.
Seriously though, was this just a one time thing like they were moving it for someone or do they regularly have one on the end? If it were regular I would guess that it would be for extra crew members maybe or the "break room" like Bob stated. That would seem a little odd for a shortline though.
I still think that it's neat to still see one in use.
A few short line cabooses like this one still remain in service and Class 1's use them on trains that have lengthy backup moves to provide a place for a crew member to stand and serve as a look out for an engineer so maybe it was being moved to another train. A few cabooses have been modified for specialized duties like research and inspection. Many company's that have high value cargo will send company reps on the train in modified cabooses more like hotel rooms then cabooses to make sure everything goes according to plan then the rep will fly back and the caboose will eventually make it back.
Honestly, I am not sure if they use them all the time. See, this line runs around the panhandle of Florida (those pictures are Pensacola). That's the area where I was born and raised, but I've moved to Atlanta, Georgia for a job. So... I can't really go do any research - lol.
I want to be somewhat prototypical, and I think it's cool as heck too if they use them on a regular basis! I was just wondering why, but it makes sense as a break area.
I don't think they were switching just the caboose however, as that is a local frieght that was running only 1-5 miles away from their yard.
"The fact that the AGR still uses a caboose in very limited service is on of the things I love the most. My earliest memories of the railroad back when Burlington Northern owned the rails was a caboose on every train. These same cabooses remain today still in use a shoving platforms for the AGR"
What do yall make of this? Should I do it on my N scale, and what is a "shoving platform"?
There's one more factor to be considered and that is safety. In this area they are used head ending a train that is being pushed to a destination when there is no other means to get the loco to the head end for the return trip. Having a train crew member with a radio set, hanging on a ladder for any distance while the train is in motion would be contrary to safety. They also use them in the winter for the crew.
willis
I agree that Willis's explanation is the most common. Shortlines, in particular, have customers with dead end spurs and no runaround track. They may have to push a train a number of miles to get to the spur and the engineer can't see what's happening at what should be the head end. A caboose, which can also be called a shoving platform on railroads where the caboose is more like a transfer caboose, gives the crew member a safe, weatherproof place to stand and observe and radio the engineer if there are problems. Some even have headlights and horns for when the train that's being shoved is particularly long. Class 1's like the CSX still have a number of these "shoving platforms" on their roster for locals so a caboose on a shortline wouldn't be unusual. It would be unusual to see one on such a short train but the train may have dropped a longer cut of cars before the picture was taken.
Now, with all that prototype information, it's your railroad so use the caboose if you want to. My shortline has a heavyweight combine that's used for LCL freight, a caboose, and the occasional passenger. This used to be really common on impoverished shortlines like mine right up into the 60's and I just like the way the combine looks behind three or four cars and a 70 tonner.
i've noticed what kinda seems like a small resurgence of caboose use. on the photo sites alot of the regionals and shortlines are using them again. NYSW by me was using there's for a while, not now though. P&W has been and i've even seen MRL too.
Sometimes the trackage in a given spur may not be in the best condition, and so it may not support the weight of a loco well, but cars, even loaded, weigh much less then a loco, so those are fine. In such a case, the local will use a caboose sometimes as a way to reach into that spur and pluck a car out, or drop one off. You can see them doing just that in this pic: http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Prototype Train Photos/Fortville Local/3-4-07-5.jpg
in that photo its doubtful they are using the caboose as you mentioned above. that is just where it happened to be in the switching moves. As you mentioned above though it is called an idler car. you can use idler cars any where you need less weight. A tourist railroad i work for has this big wood trestle and the local freight railroad could not bring loaded boxcars and center beams across this bridge without using idler cars in between each load to spread the weight on this bridge. So same theory about an industry spur.
Actually, I saw them arrive on site with just the loco's and caboose, I watched them pick out the cars they wanted from the siding, I watched them assemble the train on the main, then they dropped the caboose in the opening to the siding, pulled the train up, backed in to the siding to pick up the caboose, then they headed out of there. They did all of this while I stood there.
There use to be a full crew law. Every train had to have an engineer, fireman,conductor and two brake man. You couldn't put them all on the engine so at least two had to stay in the caboose. I think the law changed in 1975 and I'm almost sure that's when the caboose was on it's way out. Before that most of the time we would put the caboose behind the engine, but in some moves it was needed to protect the main while we were switching. If we knew this was going to happen we would put it on the rear when leaving. There were only three freight switchers on the Harlem line. The day switcher always cooked lunch for five in the caboose.
Thanks a lot for the info guys! That is really cool, I never knew they existed anymore. There's another perk of researching for my shortline model railroad!
I'm still wondering though - what is a "shoving platform"? Is that basically like was said earlier - an idler car that can reach in and grab other freight, without the locomotive going over weak track, or in a building, or whatever?
Kyle,
A shoving platform can be anything from a normal looking caboose to a transfer caboose, which is basically a small shelter mounted on a flat car. A car used for spacing due to weight restrictions is usually an old flat car and that's what would normally be called an idler car. Some railroads have built special short flats just for use as idler cars.
I don't know this for sure but I know the term "shoving platform" is of fairly recent origin. I suspect that there would be union issues if the car attached was called a caboose in terms of the total number of train crew required.
I know the Union Railroad in Wetsern Pennsylvania still uses cabooses on all their trains. I think it's mostly because a lot of their trains run backwards for long distances to get to coal tipples and stuff like that so they use the caboose as a lookout point. Plus sometimes on valuable shipments some railroads' police will ride in a caboose cut into the middle of the train for easy access to all the cars.
The Ross County Shortline uses this old lady, a venerable Mopac caboose that they picked up cheap, to use as a transfer caboose and a shoving platform - Many of the branches have no run-round and the crew use it for when it is head ended and they need flagmen for busy road crossings - keeps 'em out of the wind, rain and summer sun too!
So, where does the word "shoving platform" come from? I'm still confused... does it actually "shove" or "push" stuff, or is it just a look-out point for backwards running trains? If so, then why call it a "shoving platform". Why not "lookout platform"?
