Hey everybody! I was just wondring if either UP or BNSF use cabooses now and what they use them for. Also any good HO scale models of a UP one. Ive seen the Centralia Car Shops one, the blue MOW scheme and its pretty cool but i want to know if it is contemporary. Thanks! [Y] [;)]
Most of the BNSF ones I have seen are used as ‘shoving platforms’ when a train needs to back up a rather long spur. This offers the conductor ‘shelter’ and he can blow the horn/air whistle on the caboose at grade crossings. BNSF still has a small fleet of these for local service. All that I have seen on bNSF appear to be wide vision models.
I suspect UP also has some dedicated to local service. There have been cases of old cabooses downgraded to MOW service through the years.
Jim
Thank you very much! Is the Athearn one a good fit?
The old Athearn wide-vision caboose is based on a Rock Island type with a short body. The Atlas wide vision caboose (waycar to a Burlington guy) is a much better representation of the cars on the BN/BNSF. As stated above the main use is a “shoving platform” so the cars are usually in older, faded BN markings (at least in Nebraska). The UP uses few of their old cars for similar uses - rare in the midwest. The UP tends to use their CA11 (modern baywindow), their CA13 (ex-Rock Island bay window) or the MoPAC shorty bay window cars for these purposes. A number of cabooses over the years have been painted in aluminum or “Kenefick Green” for use on MoW trains.
UP also maintains several former WP bay window cabooses at North Platte for emergency crew transportation. Rebuilt within the last couple of years, they display standard Armour Yellow on their flanks but are assigned and so numbered to reflect MOW service.
I don’t what became of it, but for awhile UP employed a obviously former AT&SF caboose in my area, all windows were blanked out and the doors welded shut , to add insult, it wore a kinda faded mustard yellow streaked with rust and grime color, ugh! It didn’t look much different when SP owned it!
Dave
In the Chicago area, UP locals use old C&NW bay window cabooses. The cars look rather rundown, and are still painted in C&NW colors.
We have one that is from the last class of new UP baywindow cabooses for crew transportation. It still carries it’s caboose series number.
The caboose has been equipped with air and electrical MU connections so that an engine can be placed at either end. The seats for the crews on our caboose appear to be old passenger coach seats, permanently fixed. I’ve ridden it once, not the best ride sandwiched between two engines.
Our “blizzard bus” is ready to go. I saw it this morning all set up. There was a move on the line-up, but it wasn’t called out. Probably will be with the snow forecast over the next few days.
Jeff
as far as models go , check out the product reviews in the december 2010 issue
Thanks for the help! I have two questions. Would it be possible to take a BN rapido caboose and scratch off the BN stuff and put on a BNSF logo or would it look weird? Also what cabooses has anyone seen in the SoCal area especially Fullerton/Anaheim/Carson?
A couple of weeks ago I did see caboose on the BNSF tracks in Corona, California. It was the wide vision version and was in use hooked to a couple of coil cars. It may well have been used in switching operations as that is what they appeared to be doing. I was on the I15 Northbound transition to the West 91 and was not able to get all that good of a look.