It is old technology that would be an added expence for the railroads. With all the track side detectors they have already invested in it would not make much sense to employ more people to ride back there to watch for defects let alone the expense of building all new cars to replace the ones already retired.
As Russ has pointed out, it would be a pointless expense for the railroads. The minimal crews of today do not normally require separate accommodations, except perhaps for the odd long backing maneuver, so modern, expansive, crew cabs are quite sufficient to house the train's crew today. Likewise, given that technology today handles most of the assignments formerly done by those riding the the caboose, that it costs the RR significant money to maintain and operate a caboose without any return on that investment, and that the considerable separation of the crew members can pose a significant safety hazard, it would be a foolish move to bring them back simply for nostalgia reasons. NYW&B
The requirement for the caboose has been taken over by technology as NYW&B pointed out. The KCS Gulfport (MS) Branch has a lone caboose stored at the Gulfport terminal. It is used once a week when cars are switched along the five-mile industrial complex track that crosses two heavily trafficked highways and 10-15 unguarded company access roads. Use of the caboose requires adding an extra person to blow the air whistle at every crossing when backing along the five miles. That KCS considers this caboose a liability is shown by it still having its Mid-South grey scheme and lettering applied ~20 years ago.
I answered NO cuz you need two pairs of eyes in that cab. Also you have to keep each other awake! Don't laugh! As a conductor, I've had to keep the hogger awake. As an engineer I've appreciated the company in the cab. Also in track warrant territory the conductor copies the track warrants, keeps one copy and gives the other to the hogger,you cant do that if one person is in the caboose. Rules state that whoever copies the track warrant cannot be operating the train at the time. I have worked a number of jobs where we used a caboose, but that was because there were a lot of back-up moves and over road crossings. BTW the ones used on the BNSF now are nasty,NASTY,filthy beasts!
I would love to see the caboose make a come-back. Some of my main interests are these little shortlines and such and on many of those a caboose is required for long backing maneuvers. I think the back of a train looks weird without a caboose. They almost all had them when I was a little kid, and now they are gone.
UP has taken an interesting approach in these parts. They take the third or fourth diesel and they stick it on the rear of the train. That dieles is then controlled from the front of the train, I presume, because it is always rumbling as loud as the units on the front. I presume they also do this because it allows them to speed up and slow down quicker - if it takes one second to get each car moving, and you have a 100 car train, it will take 100 seconds to get the last car in motion. Whereas if you have a diesel shoving at the back, the last 1/3 of the train is moving right about when the front 2/3rds is moving, and in stopping the last unit provides dynamic bracking to the latter portion of the train. At least, that is how it makes sense to me. So no cabeese - just slap another diesel ont the end!!
And in all fairness shouldn't we have some "Bertha" type, end of train devices? eek: Seriously, I was thinking about this very thing, the other day. That is thinking about the return of cabooses. On my layout the trains run with hacks, crummies, guard shacks, captain's berth, coffee percolater, water distiller, poop shack as the ever present caboose. No, they won't be back. Even the ones you see on the end of locals are locked down or welded shut. Used strictly as a platform for a brakeman to stand on as the train moves in reverse. From time to time, I do operate some of the modern trains and they are tailed by a Fred and Bertha. What? What? It's my layout, I make the rules and if I want Bertha's...get it? Clue concludling in answer: Fred and Bertha are not end of train devices...they are cabooses named...yep you guessed it. Have fun!
I am certain that in the last 5 years I have seen shorty trains on the BNSF mainline with cabooses in my area. Usually have a couple Geeps on the front and 4 or 5 cars. Can't say I have seen one lately. I think they should bring back the caboose and sell rides in them on the back of freights! If the price was right, I would ride from San Bernardino to Barstow and back, and over the Tehachapi loop! Man that would be fun.
Forward into the past...........? UP uses an ex-MP "doghouse" caboose on its turns to Tulsa and back. For a shoving platform, it serves its purpose just fine. As others have said, refinements in detectors, EOTs and whatnot plus the reduced crews on freights have rendered cabooses obsolete. Perhaps fun for tourist trains, or as a shoving platform, but in day-to-day through freights- uhn-uhn. I leave the cabooses on my mid-70s model railroad. Oh yes, I voted no.
They won't be back. Due to the money factor. However, having at least one set of eyes watching from the back end was an excellent addition to safety, which no technology can completely replace. Boxcab E50
This is the argument still made by my now 94 year old retired rail grandfather. He says it was a mistake to get rid of the extra eyes.
One of the big questions today is how do we protect the rear of the train in an emergency stop? The answer is in today's two way communications. A train in an emergency stop will usually communicate such to the dispatcher. The other thing is most signals will hold a red until the block ahead is cleared. There are safety features built in to protect a train. The only exception might be where a train is given a warrant to pull up behind another train in order to clear a track for trains moving in the opposing direction. My family of rails would agree that it was a mistake to remove the cabooses. Having another set of eyes and someone to put out flares or signal an approaching train to stop is good safety. Today it can take a half hour to an hour (or longer) to walk the distance of most trains.
While I don't think the caboose will be back in it's original tasking. What I have seen is the caboose's used to run the remote control units. The other day I tried getting a picture of a UP GP38 with a couple cars and a caboose on the end. It had been stopped earlier and the crew was running the GP from the caboose platform.
I saw an NS local doing a long backup move yesterday with a shiny newly painted red caboose in the lead.
I seriously doubt in real 1:1 railroads, that cabooses will ever be in use as they were prior to the 60s. frown: However on my Model Railroad they never left and will always be used. biggrin: see ya Ron
They cost way too much to purchase/maintain, they were a terribly dangerous place to ride (think being whipped around at the tail of a snake) and most of the time the crew was sleeping. I know, I have been there and done that. Now do I believe that many of these should have been retained for switch/shove moves?...Absolutely and not with doors welded shut so a man can't get out of the weather and stay warm on a long shove. In addition, I have operated/managed a few shortlines where we used a caboose not only for operations but as an office, an inspection car for prospective customers and of course the annual "Santa Claus" train. No railroad, whether prototype or model should be without atleast one caboose on the roster. Barry
Amen, brother- they're alive & well on MY layout. Can't imagine the Frisco with just a FRED on the rear of a train.
