The Caboose

Hi,

I was hoping that some of you could answer these caboose questions.

[1] Are there scenarios that would justify more than one caboose on the same freight train? [2] Are there scenarios that would justify multiple cabooses with different road names on the same freight train? [3] Are there scenarios that would justify a consist where the caboose was immediately behind the engine and all the freight cars were behind that caboose? [4] Where cabooses occasionally swapped [or shared] by foreign railroads where a Santa Fe engine consist could have a CB&Q caboose on its end?

I am trying to incorporate the caboose into my track drawings and operating plans, and these possible scenarios would allow for a lot more variety.

Thanks! Matt

Reply to
Matt Brennan
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other than moving them.. not that I can see

possible.. like a run through train getting a local caboose. but not likely

yes... a local after switching.. the caboose could end up anywhere

Not likely. First thing, before digital radios, the radios would not be compatible.

Reply to
larsso

I remember reading that sometimes, when large numbers of drovers were riding with their herds, that a separate caboose was used for them... or an old passenger coach between the caboose and the rest of the train.

Reply to
video guy - www.locoworks.com

Obvious examples would be a MOW train (using the cabeese to transport work crews to the work site) and an excursion train (The Whitewater Valley Railroad runs a "caboose train" on occasion - all passengers in a string of cabeese behind the engine)

A less obvious use would be to carry crew when shipping a "high-wide" load in a large depressed center flat or Schnabel car. In these cases, _particularly_ when the possibility of having to "operate" the car (shifting the load to the side for clearance or maintain balance) the railroad does NOT do this - the shipper is responsible for providing people to handle this aspect of the movement. Some of the largest Schnabel cars have crew cabins on each end, but smaller ones may have a caboose (or 2) spaced away from the load car by idler cars.. and then a railroad caboose at the end. I've often run my "big load" flat in this kind of set-up:

Loco

40' idler flat caboose (shipper) 89' idler flat 32 wheel articulated depressed center flat 89' idler flat caboose (shipper) caboose (railroad)

Before they dropped out of common usage, a caboose on a foreign road would be rare. Now, I'm not sure railroads really care that much any more.

Reply to
Joe Ellis

This brings to mind a frustration I have. Sometimes it's extremely difficult to find a matching caboose with the same road name... or even the proper decals to re-label it. How have the rest of you dealt with it?

I suppose that if you have a real common road name like Santa Fe or NYC, that's not a problem... but, how about names like the C.S.P.M&O (Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha) or the G.M.&O (Gulf, Mobile and Ohio)?

This is especially difficult if you're modeling the earlier steam period, since most of the decals that I can find seem to be from the post WWII era. Maybe I'm just looking in all the wrong places.

Thanks.

Sam

Reply to
Sam

| [1] Are there scenarios that would justify more than one caboose on the same | freight train?

You are operating in Indiana during the first half of the twentieth century under the "full crew" laws. These state laws required a front end crew too large to fit in common locomotives so a caboose was placed behind the tender.

There could be more than one caboose if the additional cabooses were being transported somewhere else.

| [2] Are there scenarios that would justify multiple cabooses with different | road names on the same freight train?

Only delivery of new cabooses.

| [3] Are there scenarios that would justify a consist where the caboose was | immediately behind the engine and all the freight cars were behind that | caboose?

Not unusual on locals. There would likely be a brakeman/flagman riding on the "leading" or "trailing" car.

| [4] Where cabooses occasionally swapped [or shared] by foreign railroads | where a Santa Fe engine consist could have a CB&Q caboose on its end?

Never say "never," but very unlikely.

CTucker New York

Reply to
Christian

Yes. On the New Haven, the freight used to come down from Lowell to Attleboro, then have to switch directions to run down the line to New Bedford. Just for this train, the NH cut in a caboose at each end of the cars. This allowed the engines to pull down to Attleboro, run around the train, couple up to the other caboose, then pull the train to New Bedford. If they only used one caboose, that would tie up the mainline too long at Attleboro.

IMHO, it would have to take place after a merger (like NP + CB&Q + GN = BN). And only when they were transporting a caboose to a repair shop or if they had an unequal freight schedule (where you, for example, would have more westbounds than eastbounds). Also, it's possible that a RR could transport a small short line's caboose to a local repair shop (the NH used to tow Fore River Railroad locos to a NH shop for repairs, since FRR didn't have heavy facilities).

Only when switching or in the middle of running around a train. Never would they run it without a caboose at the end...unless it was a modern situation where a cabooseless road would transport a foriegn road's caboose...

Probably not.

True enough, but they would be exceedingly rare. You could also use an old passenger car for a caboose...

Paul A. Cutler III

************* Weather Or No Go New Haven *************
Reply to
Pac Man

Thanks Everyone! Your replies have helped a lot. I really appreciate your help. I will steer clear of the *unusual* w/ regards to the use of a caboose. Run around tracks will solve the issues at hand.

Reply to
Matt Brennan

At one time in Southern Railway's Inman Yard in Atlanta we ran a train every day with a B&O caboose, another with a Pennsylvania caboose, and another with a Monon caboose. The Monon Caboose later went away, and the B&O caboose became a Chessie caboose. The Pennsylvania caboose became a Penn Central caboose, and then a Conrail caboose. Then they all went away.

Froggy,

Reply to
Froggy

Depending on your timeframe, you might see pooled cabooses in use on different railroads. These were used more near the end of the use of cabooses and most had a large P on the copula that indentified it as a pooled caboose.

Reply to
Rick

The C&O used two cabooses on local freights. One on each end of the train.

Reply to
Claude H. Allen

I'm vaguely recalling reading something once about two cabooses being on a freight train because part of the train split off at a certain point to go off on a branch or to a different destination. This was far from being a common practice in the bigger picture of railroading, though.

"Paul - The CB&Q Guy" (Modeling 1960's In HO.)

Reply to
The CB&Q Guy

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