I’m currently painting a caboose for IC. I’d like to know when they’d be used on the RRs now. I know NS uses them on mine runs. And they may be found on work trains. But on IC when there is a pair of engines assigned to switch a certain industry or yard, there is always a caboose w/ the engines when they’re parked. Why?
I am not sure of how IC runs the show, but on some small lines, they still use cabooses, beyond a shoveing platform. If the area is isloated or maybe it is in cold territory, the caboose would still be used for traditional uses such as mobile office, restroom and place to get warm. Also, there maybe a place were they have to run the train backwards out of an industry until they can get to a run around spot or yard, and the caboose would be used to work the point.
This is an example of a UP local in SoCal…using an ex-SP caboose as a shoving platform. This time the “shove” is almost 25 miles long!!
UP uses one here in Tulsa for long backing moves to protect unprotected crossing.
Mike in Tulsa
BNSF Cherokee Sub
So it might be plausible for me to run a caboose on SOME short-distance local freights?
They use one here for running between the Green River yard and the mines east of Rock Springs
Yes, you could use it on short distance locals, weather it really well, scar it up a bit, most cabooses that are left look rather ragged, sadly enough. As others replied, their primary purpose in today’s world is as shoving platforms.
Next time i get over to green river, I will take a picture of how cruddy the caboose they use is.
In Champaign, Il IC uses the caboose when backing up (a few miles) to some industries on the West of the city.
It is a run with quite a lot of busy street crossings.
sebastiano
While extremely rare, we do sometimes see BNSF run a caboose on their River Local up along the Fox River east of the river along Illinois Rt. 25 and back. You may also see one on the end of a military equipment train for use by the security people.
i saw a soo caboose rolling yesterday on the CP line through frankiln park (ex-soo line), i see a caboose on the csx line along the 290 from time to time as well, it looks like they use them on the local freight runs.
Iowa Interstate uses cabooses on its trains to Chicago since a long backup move to Blue Island yard is involved in the interchange with IHB.
I actually am not a huge fan of the caboose. But I want one for IC and would like to find a use for it.
Thanks for the replies. I now know I can use a caboose on SOME local freights.
Right next to the Tempe AZ Amtrak station (now unused) is a business development constructed of several cabooses. Each contains a couple of small offices.
dd