Cool! That’s how I do it on my layout! [;)]
Union Pacific keeps a former Rio Grande extended vision coupola caboose in Salt Lake City for a local that ventures out to work an industrial area west of SLC. On the local’s return, the caboose leads, with a crewmember riding in it to watch the track ahead.
MC–
Yeah, and Hulcher usually owns that crane, and somewhere else generally has a couple of torches in inventory![(-D][(-D][(-D]
Other guys–
The other place you may occasionally see cabeese on a main line is in ABS/TWC/ dark/ etc. territory where there are a lot of lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng passing sidings that are still unsprung and require hand throwing, particularly in the winter up north where a long hike back to the locomotives at 20 below is actually dangerous, or down here at 110 in the shade in July for the same reason. Again, they are crew platforms and not true cabeese. See them occasionally on long locals for the same reason. Helps the crew out. Most like this are covered under the contract.
As much as railfans like 'em (I know few of us who quake at the sight of one), and as nostalgic a picture as they make, a caboose is a $75,000 piece of hardware that gets dragged around, incurs costs, and never makes a dime for the railroad. As much as many would hate to admit it, EOTs in most cases can get the same job done better, for less money, which makes the RR more competitive, which creates jobs, etc.
I know first hand the Rules require when shoving from other than the controlling unit, a employee must be stationed where he has access to an emergency brake a white light and a warnign device of some sort. Otherwise stopping and protecting the crossings is mandatory. Rules also forbid riding the end of a car without a platform and a horizontal bar to stand BEHIND in a shoving move. Which leaves riding the side of the car. It doesn’t look hard but try sometime holding on to the side of a car for about ten minutes - sometimes with only one hand giving hand signals. The main reason perhaps as mentioned above is the crews get a shove claim usually an hour at time and a half for having to shove without a caboose. So Railroads that are thrifty and cheap will provide a caboose to eliminate that shove claim. Most will have their doors welded shut so the only useful part as intended is the end platforms and the interior doesn’t have to comply with any federal or labor requirements.