# trains still using a caboose?



## dozer

So today on the way to work I seen a large union pacific train with 5 engines and it was trailing a very worn out and rusted looking caboose. Anyone know why a train would still haul a caboose around? It instantly gave me a new idea on what to use a couple of old cabooses laying around my layout for, and to heavily weather them.


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## T-Man

You just don't know. It could house workers, be privately owned or bought, or is being stored at another yard.


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## TapRoot

I see them all the time up here, I even saw a little yellow one dead center of the train surrounded by oil cars....I scratched my head on that one.


but they deff still use them for cattle workers and such


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## shaygetz

They're still used by roads that require long backing moves...primarily coal roads. Could be a transfer caboose hopping from one yard to another...


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## Reckers

...or one being relocated for donation to a train museum?


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## sstlaure

Saw one running along the north side of Detroit Metro airport. 1 engine, 4 cars and a caboose. It's probably the only time I've seen a real train that was set-up like a model train set.


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## dozer

TapRoot said:


> I see them all the time up here, I even saw a little yellow one dead center of the train surrounded by oil cars....I scratched my head on that one.


 From what I've read, that is required when hauling a hazardous material in chemical cars. I seen that once several years back, the train was set up with 2 gp's, a caboose then a 40+ chemical car set up. I then talked to a friend who works for the UP and that's when he explained to me it's a safety gap between the chemical cars and the engineers.


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## dozer

So, after talking to my friend at UP, he explained to me the caboose I seen was being transported for restoration by collectors for a rail museum near Portland. I guess it came from somewhere in Az.


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## norgale

Lots of cabeese get sold to private individuals and then they have to be moved. If the brakes and trucks and wheels ect are ok or the new owner will pay to get them right the sold car can be moved over the rails to another location. Otherwise the sold cars have to be trucked overland. So your caboose may have been being transported to a new home for a new owner. Pete


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## sstlaure

I'd love to have a caboose.


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## tjcruiser

I'd love to have J-Lo's caboose ...

Uhh ...

I did NOT say that ... *I did NOT say that !!!*



TJ


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## sstlaure

You didn't say it, but I agree whole-heartedly.


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## norgale

Her engines don't look too shabby either.


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## tjcruiser

:thumbsup: 

(How quickly the intellectuals degrade into schoolboys ... It must be the heat ... Yeah, that's it ... let's all blame it on the HEAT!)

 

TJ


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