Modern day modelers do you ever run a caboose


D

dekker

Member
I model modern day (BNSF&CSX)but every once in a while I throw in a caboose. I grew up seeing them and I just like to see them at the end of a train. I know rivit counters may cringe but its my layout and I am sticking to it.LOL
 
The Union railroad here in Pittsburgh runs cabooses on all their trains. The reason for this is because they often have to run empty coal trains backward into the coal loader at the Duquesne Wharf. I'm sure this could be a similar excuse torun a caboose on trains on a modern railroad. Also some railroads use cabooses for the railroad's police department to help guard valuable shipments like autos and electronics.
 
I run a caboose on most of my trains so I can tell where the end of the train is, in case something gets disconnected along the way, which happens quite often when I have a bldg. full of visitors.
Anyway, all people like to see a caboose at the end of a train, it's a tradition.
 
Whats a caboose?!

Actually Larry makes a good point. Although his layout is much larger than the small piece of foam I have laying in the shop. Cabooses were before my time, so they look strange on trains.
 
Caboosi, makes me all the more grateful to have the pre-1960 theme. What would a steam engine be without it's "little buddy" in the rear?

Bob
 
On my little division, every train must have a caboose. I like to run equipment from the '40's to the '90's. My reasons for a caboose on '90's equipment: Everytime one of those FRED's shows up, it seems to get destroyed and we still have to protect the end of the train, now don't we!

Keith Baker
 
The caboose had 2 functions when I worked for the railroad. A place to do the waybill paper work, cook and eat lunch there, which gave it that home feeling. I like to think someone’s in my caboose cooking.

NYC_George
 
I'm with Larry... I always run a caboose. That is also the main reason that I do so I know the whole train showed up on the other end and there still isn't 5 cars or something sitting in a tunnel waiting to get plowed into.
 
I am going to model from 1981-1985 on the Milwaukee Road so cabooses will be run on the layout,as soon as I am able to start it.
 
I am just starting to incorporate cabooses back into my layout. I model 2001 BNSF and decided that unit trains will run FREDS and all mixed freights will have a caboose on the tail end. That way I get the best of both worlds. Of course, that meant a complete remodel of my existing yard to add a caboose track, that is in the works as we speak.
 
I model SP, and I have seen many pics, and videos with cabooses on them. To me, just as strange as it would be to see SP with out a tunnel Motor, or a SD45, the same holds for a Caboose. Plus, I could see a practical use for them. In the event that the Road Crew has to manually switch a switch or two from point A to point B, a Switch man could get out of the cab of the lead Locomotive, throw the switch, get back on the train. The Train runs through, then stops, and the guy in the caboose would get out, close the switch, hop on the caboose, and they would be on their merry way, especially in Yards, and junctions.
Also I figure, I'll use Cabooses on Locals, Manifest, and most heavy mixed freights, and use freds on fast Express trains, Z trains and any thing that moves fast.
 
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My era is 1970s and 1980s, and cabooses are a part of my layout.

For my more modern stuff (for fun), I got cabooses too. The big South Texas and Gulf layout I run on from time to time has a requirement of using a caboose, since the last wheelset is a resistor wheelset, which lets the system know where the end of the train is. I picked up some resistor wheelsets to add to my cabooses so I can run an ICG caboose with an ICG powered train, instead of mismatching a UP caboose to an ICG train.
 
My era is sort of a hazy 1955-1995 so all my trains have cabooses. It's sort of odd how people react to them. I do have one FRED car that I use when I'm up in the 90's. My wife, who really could care less about trains, saw that and said "Where's the caboose?". Seems one of her fond memories from childhood was waving at the conductor and getting a wave back so the caboose has always held a special place in her heart. Needless to say, I always run a caboose if she's going to watch the trains. OTOH, younger guys like Dan and Mac grew up in a time when the caboose was virtually non-existent. I can see why they would think a train with a caboose would just look odd.
 
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