# Cabooses



## snowballs442 (Aug 26, 2011)

I dont know how long ago its been that trains no longer have cabooses but I was wondering if people around here are running them on their models anymore ¿ Also would like to know what happened to the cabooses, were they all junked or is there a boneyard for them like there are for airplanes?


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

I have noticed the same thing while watching freight trains roll thru my town there is rarely a caboose on the end.
When did this happen?
Bob


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## Jimmy (Sep 21, 2011)

I still run lighted ones because I like the way it looks.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

If it feels good, do it. 

Cabooses were replaced with Flashing Rear End Devices (FRED) With remote uncoupling, etc there wasn't a need anymore for the extra crew members to ride at the rear of the train.

I've still seen a few here/there on the rails (maybe transfer crews) Most have gone the way of the dodo bird, but some people have bought them. A local flower shop here in Brighton has a caboose attached to it and is part of the interior of the store. I've seen a few sitting restored in peoples yards (a personal desire of mine.....I think a train layout built inside either a caboose or passenger car would be the ultimate train room.)

I still run them on my layout because they add extra operating interest (physically attaching/removing caboose from the end with an engine and magnetic uncoupling, moving the car to the caboose track, etc.)


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Showing my age, but a train simply isn't a train without a caboose!
In fact, I have matched the caboose to the loco, i.e., a Conrail caboose at the end of my Conrail loco train......CN at the end of the CN train, etc.
My dad was a switchman in San Bernadino, CA when I was still in diapers and he later told me some wild stories of what went on inside of those cabooses while rolling down the rails.   
Bob


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

I use a caboose on my layout, but then, I run steamers.

The purpose of the caboose was to enable members of the crew to sit for hours, staring up the line of cars, watching for signs of overheating bearings, brakes, etc. As an afterthought, it was also a place to store flares, torpedoes, a desk of sorts for the conductor, etc. However, once the technology was developed for remote sensing of the hot bearings and brakes, the caboose became an expensive ananchronism. Personally, when I see a real train come to an abrupt end with a last car, I think it looks like something is missing.


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## cabledawg (Nov 30, 2010)

I have a whole slew of cabooses (cabeese?) on my layout. I use one for the crane crew and one for the "crosstown" freight with the rest tossed into the lineup for that nostalgic look. 

Jimmy, do you have interior lights, or just the running lights on the outside? I've got a few LED's leftover from some other projects and a couple AAA battery cases that would fit nice and neat inside the caboose for a lighted effect.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

If you REALLY want to see some classic cabooses just visit your local mall or airport  :laugh:


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

I always have a caboose at the end of my freight trains. They just aren't complete without one (and I mainly run steam and 1940's/50's diesels so they'd still be on the rails anyway, and then I run three rail O scale, so anything goes )












































My personal favorite








I have a bunch of this style but I won't post them all


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

I probably have 60+ in all different roads, I like having one to go with each locomotive I have...they just aren't complete without them.

The ICC ruled that in 1984, Class 1 roads no longer needed them except on special runs (Schnabel cars and unit trains, etc...). Conrail had a big section of yard in Altoona for awhile where you could buy theirs...$300-1000 each, plus haulage to wherever.


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## Jimmy (Sep 21, 2011)

cabledawg said:


> I have a whole slew of cabooses (cabeese?) on my layout. I use one for the crane crew and one for the "crosstown" freight with the rest tossed into the lineup for that nostalgic look.
> 
> Jimmy, do you have interior lights, or just the running lights on the outside? I've got a few LED's leftover from some other projects and a couple AAA battery cases that would fit nice and neat inside the caboose for a lighted effect.



Mine are all interior lighted, but thanks for the idea!


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## jzrouterman (Nov 27, 2010)

raleets said:


> I have noticed the same thing while watching freight trains roll thru my town there is rarely a caboose on the end.
> When did this happen?
> Bob


Beginning in the eighties, railroads began to phase them out. Read about it at this linc. http://www.american-rails.com/railroad-caboose.html Now when freights go rumbling by, a lot of times you can see guys riding in the helper engines.

Routerman


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

raleets said:


> If you REALLY want to see some classic cabooses just visit your local mall or airport  :laugh:


Or my ex-wife, if you want to see a gynormous caboose!:laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## snowballs442 (Aug 26, 2011)

HAHAHAHA That is a good one about the wife.
I gotta agree with most of you›››it does not look good if there isn't a coboose at the end. 
One more question please, what number would best represent the HO scale? 
1/32?


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## Massey (Apr 16, 2011)

HO scale is 1:87.1 to be exact or just 1:87

1:32 is in the "G" scale range!

Typically the scales are as follows 
Z- 1:220
N- 1:160
HO- 1:87.1
O- 1:48
S- 1:64
G- G ranges from 1:20 to 1:32 depending on manufacturer. The track is gauged at 45mm between the rails for #1 gauge which is typical garden railroad track. There are other gauges of track tho.

There are other scales too but those are the most popular. There are also some slight variences in the actual scale ratio but what I have listed is the typical accepted ratio for trains in the USA.

Massey


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

A couple of other scales in model RR, too ...

OO - 1:76.2 ... very popular in England
TT - 1:120 ... popular in Europe, England
T - 1:450 ... super tiny ... popular in Japan

TJ


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## snowballs442 (Aug 26, 2011)

Reckers said:


> Or my ex-wife, if you want to see a gynormous caboose!:laugh::laugh::laugh:


I think I may have seen your XXX wife...does she require a track?


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

snowballs442 said:


> I think I may have seen your XXX wife...does she require a track?


Actually, she requires an entire train yard. *L* At one point, she was walking across the Walmart parking lot and a guy ran into her with his car. She had to go to the emergency room to have the car removed.

When the driver of the car was asked why he ran into her, he shrugged and answered, "I didn't have enough gas to go around her.":laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Back to cabeese...I have a few to offer:










As you can see, my layout is still under construction. The crane and work cabooses were brought in during the week and continue to lay track and deal with unruly cars:










But now, it's Saturday night, the last whistle has blown and the guys have retreated to the shop cabooses for a few drinks:


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

reckers,
You are COLD, but I love the humor:appl::and I'm rolling on the floor!
Bob


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

*innocent look* Me? Did I say something funny?


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Am I the only one who runs a caboose on my passenger train?:laugh:

I am left wondering on what kind of wild things went on in cabooses now.
I wonder what stories they told?


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

big ed,
According to my Dad, who worked on the railroad in California and Michigan as a switchman, the boredom of riding the rails in the caboose was often offset with wild poker games , flatulation contests  , "entertainment" of female guests  , and other assorted activities connected with "boys will be boys" .
You'll have to use your fertile imagination :laugh:
Bob


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

It's sort of a Vegas thing ...

"What happens in the caboose _stays_ in the caboose!"

TJ


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

If the caboose is a rockin, It ain't necessarily bad rails!


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

big ed said:


> Am I the only one who runs a caboose on my passenger train?:laugh:



No, I just don't do it with my O scale cars (doesn't look good at the end of the Santa Fe "El Capitan" ).

When I'm running my G scale shay at my grandpa's, I usually run a mixed freight/passenger train with a caboose at the end.


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## Nolackofwanna (Mar 10, 2011)

*cabooses*

Hi 
I'm going to be running "The Chief" and the "San Diegan" to be prototypical no caboose was used as both used an observation car at the end with their characteristic "Drumhead " logo. The only time in my experience where a caboose had anything to do with anything passenger was a combined freight/passenger train much as what santafe158 mentioned. That was on the CN line to Northern Manitoba in the seventies; They placed three heavy weight passenger cars in the middle of the north bound freight out of Winnipeg we stayed in the cars while they shunted us around in Hudson's Bay Saskatchewan prior to proceeding. That was good for about three hours.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Most of my passenger sets have an "observation" car with rear lights, they're not intended to run with a caboose. On the freights with steamers, the caboose is certainly called for. I have a couple of cars with the EOT device for modern freight const's.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

grjohn,
My new Amtrak consist also has an "observation" car on the tail end, rather than the tradional caboose. 
Back in the late 80's my wife and I took two trips to Tucson on Amtak and spent several hours in the "observation" car.
There's a reason why it's called an "observation" car  :thumbsup: , and that's because a whole lot of folks from all over the country, on their way to visit far away places, sit there and "observe" the rest of the people on the car! 
Yeah, I realize the main purpose is to "observe" the scenery as it rolls past the train but, trust me, the "observation car" is the place to be if you want to goggle people for hours on end.
It was a blast and we're planning to take a trip to the west coast on Amtrak sometime in the next couple of years.
Bob


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

When I was 12 I rode the Challenger from PA to Chicago, it was an interesting trip. I loved the dome car, spend a lot of time up there. 

My train rides as an adult have all been in the Boston-NYC-Washington corridor.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

big ed said:


> Am I the only one who runs a caboose on my passenger train?:laugh:
> 
> I am left wondering on what kind of wild things went on in cabooses now.
> I wonder what stories they told?


I was only kidding about running caboose on a passenger train.:laugh:


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Maybe Cabeese will take the place of private cars and people can hook on and go all over the country. Now that sounds like fun to me. Pete


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## deboardfam (Oct 8, 2010)

Near strasburg

http://www.redcaboosemotel.com/

Thats where 46 or so of them went


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Wow! That would be cool :thumbsup:
Bob


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## snowballs442 (Aug 26, 2011)

Was there a time when more than one caboose was used on the train?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I've seen two a long time ago, one was in the middle, don't know what that was about.  I guessed they were assembling the train and just needed to take the caboose to another location.


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

snowballs442 said:


> Was there a time when more than one caboose was used on the train?



Sure, why not. Just a few. :laugh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV5WJxwiw4Q


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