Are cabooses - cabeeses- still used?

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Some railroads still use cabooses as shoving platforms, but not on mainline trains anymore. I think cabooses were pretty much done in the late '80s, early '90s.
 
I see them being used sometimes on the RR that runs thru Arcadia & then south in to Ft.Myers. They're kinda beat up & rusted out. I use them on my RR so I know where the end of the train is. LOL
 


most of the modern railroads stopped using cabooses in the 80's i believe. you still see a few smaller lines using the on locals and such, like the EJ&E here in the chicagoland area (at least untill recently). the J still used EOT's on the rear though, and i believe the caboose was just used to meet union agreements, although they did seem to have fresh propane tanks for the heater, and were usually parked near the yard office and engine service area in Joliet. usually modern railroads use them for locals and wayfreights as shoving platforms. they are pretty much gutted on the inside and only used to provide a safe place for the conductor to ride on long backup moves. they are also sometimes used for work trains and maintenance crews to provide a shelter and work area, or will carry an escort for a dimensional load or high value load. i believe some military movements will have a caboose with security personel. and if you wanna get really far out, i have seen an occupied UP business car with a couple officials on the rear of the MCBPR, Council Bluffs to Proviso manifest train. would have taken a picture, but didn't have a camera. not sure how they were able to have power for the car, and it was probably a rough ride, but they did it!
 
I've only seen them used on locals that have long backing movements and not even all of those. BNSF has a couple parked in Clyde Yard in Cicero, Illinois but I haven't seen them moved for a long time (at least not when I was riding through daily on METRA).

I've only seen one military train on the BNSF (WB) and that was all vehicles on flats with no caboose, just a FRED / EOTD.
 
Beachbum said:
I've only seen them used on locals that have long backing movements and not even all of those. BNSF has a couple parked in Clyde Yard in Cicero, Illinois but I haven't seen them moved for a long time (at least not when I was riding through daily on METRA).

I've only seen one military train on the BNSF (WB) and that was all vehicles on flats with no caboose, just a FRED / EOTD.
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all the ones i've seen didn't have a caboose or anything, even a shipment of abrams tanks went un-escorted and those things are a couple million apiece! but i've heard of escorted munitions trains with either occupied cabooses or old pasenger cars (not 100% on that one)
 
Almost all cabooses still left in service are used as shoving platforms for backing movements. I know of no Class 1 railroad that regularly uses a caboose on a mainline train. There are specialized cabooses, like those of the UP Railroad Police, that are still used for either high value shipments or as part of Operation Lifesaver, along with the local police.

The Department of Defense uses various rear end cars, including rebuilt troop sleepers, rebuilt hospital cars, and standard International Car Company wide vision cabooses. The trains with the larger cars are always carrying nuclear waste. They are officially known as "Guard Cars" and carry a contingent of between 10-15 service members, usually Navy. They are trained in nuclear hazmat and provide support to local officials in the event of a derailment. They are also heavily armed and trained to resist any persons trying to take control of the train of an individual car.

The DODX standard cabooses are normally used when solid trains of ammunition, bombs, or weapons are being transported. There are usually only about five people, mostly DODX contract security officers. Their duty is to protect the cargo in case of an derailment. They also patrol the train during intermediate stops to make sure no one gets into any of the cars that contain items that can easily be carried off.
 
The railroad I am modelling(The Greater Winnipeg Water District) has a Point St. Charles caboose that is used regularly.
 
That's a nice looking caboose too. Most of the shortlines that still use cabooses have units taht are just a box with welded up up windows and covered in grafitti. The end windows are interesting. I don't think I've ever seen any that large on a caboose before.
 
These were made from old boxcars at the Point St. Charles shops in Quebec. This will be an ex CN unit. They are different and the only manufacturer that produces them is Athabaska Scale Models in a brass kit. Sylvan used to make them as well but has stopped production on them.
 


BNSF routinely uses one here in Houston for extended backing movements on the line south from their New South Yard, I have pics somewhere…..

They are also used by contractors such as Mammoet as a crew car for special moves. But these aren’t owned by the RR.
 
rlundy90 said:
The railroad I am modelling(The Greater Winnipeg Water District) has a Point St. Charles caboose that is used regularly.
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I don't remember ever saying this to another guy, but..... nice caboose Ron!:p
I'm just in the middle of buying another one right now (CPR 434646).
If you go into Selkirk you'll see it sitting at the fort siding, hopefully not getting stripped down this time! :mad:
 
Finger lakes Railway has a caboose set up for remote control operation, I caught a picture of it at rest this summer

IMG_0645.jpg
 
here in ny, hudson falls to be more sepcific, the delaware and hudson/canadian pacific runs a hill train from fort edward new york to glens falls ny. i live only about a 1/4 mile from the line and itd be a great lines to model, the lines services fync and pruyn co. paper company and lehigh cement company (iron clad), and maybe even the recylcing center. cars on the lines are usually boxcars, open top and covered cylindrical hoppers, as well as chemical tank cars. motive power is i beleive a gp-38 or an 2d-40-2 i beleive. and one of the coolest things about the line is that the consist always has a caboose in it!! a yellow cp capola caboose. ive even seen 2 cabooses in it before. on the line there are 3 yards and 1 station as well as a portion where the tracks are only feet from the road, ive seen traffic completely stop when a train goes past.

heres a few videos of it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA-vgFEoaWo

from river street, in dh colors!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN-NObbWIwM
 
We had one at our (CN) terminal briefly last year. The management brought one back for shoving moves on a particular way-freight assignment. The Conductor who was assigned the van made such a stink over the missing safety appliances (because the doors weren't welded shut) that they sent it away, so the brakeman (not the F'in conductor! :mad:) has to ride the point in the elements now. If the doors are welded shut it's a riding platform. If the doors function its a caboose, and it doesn't go anywhere without lighting, kitchen utensils, potable water, radio, toilet paper etc...:rolleyes: as per the definition of a caboose...BTW that conductor has since been fired...:D friggin' old lady he was...
 
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the up has an riogrande caboose in the cos yard couppled to the yard switcher im pretty sure its still used in operations also
 
It would seem that even at the end of a pusher they're no longer required. The local CB&CNS used two a few years ago but both are gone now.
CBNS 1000 is now part of a railroad hotel and the NP Power sponsored one "2000" i have no idea of what happened to it. There was also an old combine wich is now the dining room at the railroad hotel.

Cheers
Willis
 
In Canton Ohio, there's a blue Conrail caboose in use by (I assume) CSX. It's a bay window type, in pretty rusty shape, and I think it's used when switching the local steel mills. Not sure if it's a pusher or for crew use, but I see it on the end of trains frequently. Maybe I'll try to get a picture next time I run across it. I see it usually once or twice a week.

MPB
 
In the US they stopped using them on mainline trains in the 80s in Canada it was the early 90s when they stopped using them as Cabooses. most places now they are shoving platforms
 


The Union Railroad in Pittsburgh still uses them on their trains. Usually because a lot of their traffic is backwards coal movement to the Duquesne Wharf to pick up loads of coal from barges and hauling coil cars to and from the US Steel Irvin Works.

Other railroads occasionally still use them on locals which may require backwards running or as part of the railroad's police department on high security shipments.
 
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