Role of the caboose on modern railroads?


I still see an ex Wisconsin Central caboose on the CN in Manitowoc, WI. They use it to back up to a lime kilns in Rockwood, WI a few miles to the north.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There is a UP bay window in use at the 84th street yard here in Omaha. Next time I talk to the switch crew, I'll ask them how they use the caboose. Certainly is a dying breed.
 
As stated above they are used as shove platforms most often. You can't just back up a train blind, except in very limited circumstances. In every other case, visual protection of the point must be provided. Either the protection is provided by a crew member from the ground or by hanging on the last car (a vehicle can be used as well, but it's not always practical since roads aren't always beside the rails).

Long distance moves like this can be difficult on the crew member hanging on, so in those cases it's a good idea to have a good car to ride, like a caboose or purpose-built shove platform (typically old flatcars fitted with handrails, a walkway, handbrake and emergency brake valve within easy reach of the crew member riding).

Shove platforms and cabooses are most likely to be seen on locals, road switchers and industry jobs where it's not practical or possible to run around the train for the return trip. On BNSF, the threshold for filing a pay claim is 1 mile hanging on to a car for a shove movement, so if the shove will be longer than that, management insists on a shove platform if it's available. There are a couple locations where we have cabooses for these cases, but most of the time it's a converted 60' flatcar.
 
They are shoving platforms. At some point the train will make a reverse move and shove up a branch or industrial over a mile. At that point the conductor rides the rear platform protecting the shoving movement. Notice many of these "cabooses" have all the windows plated over with sheet metal. If you went inside there wouldn't be any seats or heaters or anything inside they are just a big metal box with a platform on each end. They are not used as a "caboose" on through trains, only locals and industrial switching jobs. When the train is moving forward, they cabooses on a modern train would be unoccupied.
 
I know the caboose in Colorado Springs is still in D.R.G.W. colors and i have seen a B.N. livery caboose in springs once upon a time
 
here is a pic of two csx caboose in the csx yard in knoxville tn i see them out on the line all the time......
csxcaboose.jpg

csxcaboose1.jpg
 
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.
Click to expand...

There is a Santa Fe Caboose that is used regularly in Golden right by the Coors brewery. It doesn't really leave the small yard the BNSF has there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top