Why did the Railroads get rid of cabooses?

[bull]

I used to see them all the time maybe 20 years ago, now I only see them as tourist attractions. Just wondering why they stopped using them? Was it a money thing?

[Todd Wilson]

It was a money thing. A story I heard was some guy wanted use of right of ways to lay fiber cable all over the country. He had political power and worked a deal with the railroads if he could knock the crews down he would get the right of ways.

Thru Freight trains   had an engineer and fireman and a head brakeman. On the caboose there was the conductor and a rear brakeman.  Up until Halloween of 1985 this is how it was. Anyways this guy worked political stuff and this and that  and suddenly cabooses started using X amount of fuel to pull around on trains. Take that times the thousands of trains out there and it was costing the railroads a lot in fuel. Also the extra crew members were costing the railroads as well. Make a long story short the regulations changed and crews were cut down to 2 man crews on thru freight trains. No need for the caboose anymore and the guy got his right of way use which has made him rich and busted the crew consist agreement of the railroad employees.

Up until that time mobile radios were not that good so they did need the extra men on the trains to pass hand signals. In some ways technology killed the caboose. But it was still political/business BS  to line pockets that did the caboose in.

Looking back on things it was probably for the better as it cut down wages on the crew. The caboose did use a certain amount of fuel and they did have repairs and upkeep. It allowed the railroads to be more competitive on prices for hauling freight. But it also cut out a lot of jobs.


Todd

[Lowprofile]

I always liked those "Bay Window" Cabooses. 

  http://www.toytrains1.com/museum-bo.htm

Check this site out! Lots of cool pics!

[Todd Wilson]

I always liked those "Bay Window" Cabooses. 

  http://www.toytrains1.com/museum-bo.htm

Check this site out! Lots of cool pics!

We got a bay window Mopac caboose in our railyard.


Todd

[Old Moparz]

One day when I hit the lottery, I'm going to buy a caboose & have it shipped to my house. I'll have someone lay some track & put in a crossing in my driveway with a gate. I'd like it set up right next to my garage with a bar inside, TV, stereo, A/C, & whatever else I feel like getting. 

[TruckDriver]

i like the caboose on the girl i dating right now



Seriously, i miss seeing them.

[John_Kunkel]

One day when I hit the lottery, I'm going to buy a caboose & have it shipped to my house.

Screw the caboose, when I hit the lottery I'm gonna get my own steam locomotive (at least a 2 6 2) and enough land to run it highball. If you're gonna dream, dream big. 

[Lowprofile]

One day when I hit the lottery, I'm going to buy a caboose & have it shipped to my house. I'll have someone lay some track & put in a crossing in my driveway with a gate. I'd like it set up right next to my garage with a bar inside, TV, stereo, A/C, & whatever else I feel like getting. 

Sounds like the makings of a great "Mancave"......on rails! 

[BB1]

More pot, and booze went with a caboose than a Greatfull Dead concert.

[Todd Wilson]

More pot, and booze went with a caboose than a Greatfull Dead concert.

Ahh yes the good ol days!


Todd

[dkn1997]

i like the caboose on the girl i dating right now
.........

THis tHReaD iS UsElesS wITHout PIcs!!!

[TheAutoArchaeologist]

I was told as a kid it was because they weren't needed anymore, being completely computerized... but I can't verify that.

A mopar guy I know in New York actually put in a FULL SIZE railroad on his property.  He had a old Plymouth Diesel locomotive,  swapped out the old engine and put in a SLANT SIX.  He set it up for torque, he was able to pull around a caboose he had with it, no problem.

I'll find the pics in a bit.










Ryan

[Scaregrabber]

It WAS about money, it was not about fuel. In the old days we needed the caboose in the back of the train for various reasons. One was to house the Conductor and Rear Brakeman. Their jobs were to positively know where exactly the rear of the train was, stop the train and get switches back when pulling out of a siding, look at the train and behind the train to observe signs of any dragging equipment or tie fires etc. and various other duties.
The railways found ways to eliminate these two positions thereby cutting a trains wages by 50%.
This was done by creating end-of-train monitors that can communicate exactly where the end of train is and what the brake pipe pressure is as well as having the ability to put the train brakes into emergency from the "tail end".
Theres way more to it, but thats the quick and dirty version.
As a Railroader I complained about the cabooses going, but it's a heck of a lot easier and cheaper to hang a 35lb monitor on the tail end than it is to tack on a fully liveable caboose.

Sheldon

[bakerhillpins]

One day when I hit the lottery, I'm going to buy a caboose & have it shipped to my house. I'll have someone lay some track & put in a crossing in my driveway with a gate. I'd like it set up right next to my garage with a bar inside, TV, stereo, A/C, & whatever else I feel like getting. 

I grew up in State College PA, and for years there was a restaurant called The Train Station. It had exactly that, a caboose on tracks in the front of the restaurant. It was a small bar area integrated into the place. I have fond memories of going there with my family and hanging out in the caboose waiting for our table.

It was consumed by progress (if you can call it that) and I was sad to see it go. 

Bryan