The following nicknames for a caboose was on ArcaMax Trivia today.
I personally have never heard a caboose called by any of these names.
Have any of you?
I have heard of a caboose being called a “crummy”. But none of the others.
Mutt says he’s never heard of any of these names.
What other “nicknames” have you heard referring to a caboose?
cw
a hack ,cabin,bobber lets not forget a little red wieble(they wobble but dont fall down)[;)]
stay safe
Joe
I’ve heard “crummy” and “little red wieble” but no others.
I’ve read of them called waycars and cabincars.
I have to add crummies,[censored]wagons,b[censored]s, reefers(winter),ovens(summer,except in the southern states and in the desert, where it’s like that in one almost all year!) and Port-A-Potties (R) on wheels!
On the New Haven…
Hack
On the PRR…
Cabin Car
Vans, perhaps on some of the Canadian roads…
Cabbase, Trailers, Crew Crummys.
way car, that is what all the powder river boys call them
“Gorilla cage” was used by engine crews on the Great Northern, in steam days.
motel4, shoving platform,wiff wagon,waycar
SF called theirs waycars. Now days, the term is shove car
Thanks, guys, for the answers. Looks like Mutt and myself aren’t the only ones
to not have heard of the names listed in ArcaMax Trivia!
Anyone else heard of any other names for cabooses?
I’ve heard them called “brain box”, that’s close to “brain wagon”, because that’s where the brain of the outfit was riding. Never heard of any of the others, though.
Most of the above names are familiar…Not all though.
Local (eastern Canada): Van, Ape Cage.
Generally: Hack, Crummy, Waycar, Brainbox.
There’s lots of names for a caboose -
ambulance, anchor, buggy, brain-box, bazoo wagon,
chariot, crummy, cripples’ home, den, diner, glory wagon (men killed in train
wrecks, caboose or otherwise, ‘went to glory’), go-cart, hack, kitchen,
madhouse, monkey cage, monkey hut, palace, parlor (rear brakemen were the
‘parlor brakemen’ or ‘parlor shack’), perambulator, rest room, treasure chest, zoo, etc.
…and there are plenty of others that are unprintable
I’ve heard waycar(ATSF) cabin car(PRR) brain box ,crummy,and many others.
mersenne6 got most of the best ones.
the more unusual ones I like are:
monkey house, monkey wagon, monkey cage, monkey hut, gorilla house, gorilla wagon, gorilla cage, glory wagon, glory hole, crummy, crumb box, resthome, hell on wheels, sanitarium
Ok now for bonus points does anyone know were word Caboose originated 