I was wondering why some trains had several cabooses at the back of the train… when trains still used cabooses that is…
It would help if someone explains to me wat they were used for and y we don’t see them any more!
thanks!
Several cabooses at the back of the train generally meant that cabooses normally based at one yard were needed for trains originating at another yard. In the days when cabooses were used, gneraly there was an engineer and a fireman (yes, in a diesel locomotive) in the locomotive cab. The conductor and one or two of his helpers, usually called brakemen, rode in the caboose at the rear. The conductor was responsible for the safe operation of the train, and gave signals, sometimes hand signals,. lanterns, or signaling via the brake pipe in certain situations, that all was ready to go and the engineer to start the train as soon as signals ahead indicated it was safe to proceed. Also the conductor would know when the brakes were applied, and could make an emergency brake application if necessary (although this might invovle a break-in-two and I don’t have any first-hand experience of this ever being done). He or a brakeman would control brakes on a back-up move. Also, in the days before computers, there was paperwork to be done, regarding each car on the train, and the caboose was a rolling office. Today, the paperwork is done in one office, handled to agents electronically, and the “FRED” monitors brake pipe pressure and gives the engineer the information, with the entire 2-man or 3-man crew riding in the locomotive cab. The “FRED” is a device hung on the last car’s rear coupler and is connected to the air-hose and is battery powered with a radio transmitter for pick-up in the engine cab. I hope I have covered everything, but if I have left out something there is surely someone who will correct or add to this.
In the early and mid-1960s, the local freights on the C&O line from Holland to Muskegon, Michigan, had two cabooses on the rear. Different conductors worked the northbound and southbound locals (they made their return trips on passenger runs), and each conductor had “his” caboose. When labor agreements permitted the pooling of cabooses, one caboose was shared by both crews.
Never too old to learn something constructive … I appreciate the question and answers, for I am a caboose fan.
In my frequent passenger rail travels in Canada, it still is not all uncommon to see a caboose occupying its familiar place in the consist of freight cars (vans, as they are called in some parts of Canada and in Great Britain, perhaps Australia and New Zealand too). Not so much with CN or CP Rail, but now and then with the lesser known heralds. However, in 2002, I did see two CN cabooses on a westbound freight outside of Halifax, NS.
I detest the device known as “Fred,” which has an interesting breakdown of the letters. Those "blinking"Rear End Devices are so unrailroadish (is that a word?), that I refuse to use them on my modern HO layout. My CN & CP/CP Rail freights still pull cabooses (sorry, vans for my Canadian cousins…).
FRED stands for Flashing Rear End Device and makes the train visible to other trains and basically gives the train its identity. As for the cabooses, pooling them usually ment either a need for them in another yard (similar to a motive power light move) or the train would be split up up and them the cabooses would go to their respected trains.
The term “FRED” also has a more “colorful” meaning, which also applies to the more, and, not so well liked electronic devices that have entered into the signaling dept: “Freakin` Ridiculous Electronic Device”. Ummmm…I used the “nice” word for the 1st word.
Interesting LOL LOL:)
A second caboose was also used with livestock movements as a makeshift drover car, with other special movements where outside personnel accompanied the shipment (e.g. Schnabel cars), and on some main trains that required military guards. Is some cases trains ran with a caboose on both ends to facilitate switching in frigid winter weather.
I’ve also heard Fu(fill in the rest) Red End Destroyer…refering to how the look of the rear end of the train was “destoryed” with the absence of the caboose.
Never hear FRED in my part of the railroad world, to us they’re EOT’s or simply ET’s.
Usually, the presence of two or more cabooses did signify there was a deadhead crew or two on the train. Don’t know about other railroads but the N&W pooled their freight cabooses in 1971 or possibly early 1972.
Some fellows had cabooses that were neat as a pin, they would put some time into maintaining them, others didn’t treat them so well, but from what I ever saw, they were in the minority.
Oh…on a CN/IC local between Mounds and Mound City, Illinois…they still run a full functioning ICG caboose, it’s very rusted…none…repeat…none of the windows are plated over and the door still opens…the conductor was in cupola! I SAW IT MONDAY! I took photos and will post a link when I upload them. The train…up until recently was using 2 GTW GP38-2’s…now it uses a GTW and a CN painted GTW marked unit, it was just repainted…[:(]. Get over there and see it when ya can!!! [:D]
doanster,
You have received some good answers to your question. I’d also like to shed some light on the subject and by the way, it is a good question.
Out here in the west, prior to the massive exportation of manufacturing in the USA to Asia, there was an imbalance in rail traffic between the eastern part of America and the west. Very simply stated, there were generally more loads westbound from the Midwestern and eastern manufacturing regions than eastbound loads from the west.
On Southern Pacific’s “Ogden” gateway, better known as the “Overland Route,” and today referred to as Union Pacific’s central corridor by some, this translated into more westbound trains than eastbound trains. Since every train until the introduction of the FRED (EOT, ET) had a caboose that ran on Southern Pacific’s “Ogden” gateway a caboose equipment imbalance was created.
To alleviate the caboose imbalances between the east and west part of the Ogden gateway, some eastbound trains would have multiple cars on the rear. Living in Fernley, NV during the early 1980s to the mid 1980s I witnessed some eastbounds with as many as 7 cabooses bringing up the rear of a manifest. As a casual observation, the occupied crummy was always the rear most caboose on the trains.
Here is a scan from a slide taken at Fernley, NV during 1982 of just one of those eastbound caboose equipment moves.
As a side note, from time to time, on the “Ogden” gateway we’d see a bad ordered caboose heading west along with an occupied caboose on a westbound. The bad ordered caboose heading
Meantion was made of extra cabooses on stock car trains with live animals as freight. If I remember the Burlington for one, and possibly the AT&SF and the UP also had special long cabooses, with extra bunks and room for the stock car attendants, called “drover cabooses.” I never saw a steel one, only older wood long cabooses, I’d say a good 48 feet long, longer than the typical box car of the period.
Other terms I’ve heard for caboose on the east coast:
Conrail: “cabin car”
CSX: “crummy” because of the not so clean interior conditions.
Wow… thanks for all the info!!!
i’ve only been here for a few weeks and i v learned so many things…didnt know why i never came here in the past
SP9033 mentioned an inbalance of traffic with more westbounds. CSX currently has more eastbound traffic resulting in EOT’s, engines, and crews being deadheaded west.
The tri weekly BNSF local from Newton,KS to Superior,NE for about a yr now has been using a manned caboose. This maybe the only road job on the entire system which uses one. BNSF uses UP trks from Peabody to Lost Springs,KS and the transfer trks switches are required to be lined back for the UP. This job goes on duty at Newton 1400 hrs M,W,F & 1000 at Superior Tu,Th,Sa.
My memory of the term “crummy” predates CSX and is not railroad specific. I think PRR called theirs cabin cars, which would explain the term on CR.
A local down here in Vancouver still uses a caboose.
But nobody ever rides in it, it’s just used as a “Shoving Platform.”
Still neat to see, though, there aren’t many around.
I recall that at least twice, in the late 60s-early70s, seeing UP freights with a CN caboose immediately ahead of the UP cabose.