The Classic Caboose: An American Legend

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Asst. Regtl. Quartermaster Gettysburg 2017
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ury_caboose_no__3_by_rattlerjones-d90buds.jpg

https://the-caboose-hub.deviantart.com/art/URY-Caboose-no-3-544748176


The Classic Caboose: An American Legend


Perhaps no other symbol of American railroading has defined the industry as the simple caboose. An endearing piece of equipment, even to the general public, the car was an all too common sight that many folks anticipated watching pass as the end of the train went by. First reportedly developed just a few decades after the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was chartered the caboose became a vital part of a freight train for over a century with several different types and versions of the car developed during that time mostly in regards to how a particular railroad designed their particular type for everyday use (such as the Pennsylvania, Reading, B&O, and others). While still in limited use today the beloved caboose has mostly went extinct as it rapidly disappeared beginning in the 1980s.

omhq17a129812003674.jpg
omhq17a129812003672.jpg
omhq17a129812003676.jpg

https://www.up.com/aboutup/history/caboose/early_uses/index.htm


The origins of the railroad caboose appear to date back to the 1840s when Nat Williams, a conductor of the Auburn & Syracuse Railroad (a later affiliate of the New York Central) became fed up with cramped and uncomfortable quarters to do paperwork (a common job of the conductor, whose responsibility is general oversight and control of a train, passenger or freight), which was usually done in either a free space of a passenger car or combine/baggage car. To fix this problem, Williams found an unused boxcar and using a simple box and barrel, as a seat and desk, set up shop in the car to do his duties. Not only did he find out he had plenty of room to work but also figured that he could use the unused space to store tools (flags, lanterns, spare parts, etc.) and other essentials to have on board whenever needed (such things become commonly stored on the caboose).

Since non-locomotive personnel on freight trains did not have assigned quarters (space in the locomotive in those days was at a premium unlike today) so the “conductor’s car,” as it was originally called, quickly caught on across the industry. At some point, and it is not known exactly when, the term caboose began to be applied as the car’s name. In any event, at first these cars looked like short, stubby boxcars (or were boxcars) called bobbers, with just two axles and no truck assembly. Eventually, however, railroads began to understand the car’s potential and through the years upgrades and additions began to appear.

Perhaps the most striking feature ever applied to the railroad caboose was its cupola. According to the story, conductor T.B. Watson of the Chicago & North Western in the 1860s reportedly used a hole in a boxcar’s roof (which he was using as a caboose) to get a better vantage point of the train ahead. It is said that Watson was amazed by the view afforded from the position being able to not only see the train ahead but also from all sides, and to the rear as well. He apparently convinced C&NW shop forces to construct a type of open observation box onto an existing singe-level caboose with windows all around where one could sit and view their surroundings. The rest, as they say, is history and the common cupola was born. More here https://www.american-rails.com/caboose.html#gallery[pageGallery]/0/


Caboose Types:


Cupola_caboose.jpg

original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia

Cupola or "standard"

The most common caboose form in American railroad practice has a small windowed projection on the roof, called the cupola. The crew sat in elevated seats to inspect the train from this perch.

The invention of the cupola caboose is generally attributed to T. B. Watson, a freight conductor on the Chicago and North Western Railway.





Bay_window_caboose_CNW_10304.jpg

original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia

Bay window
In a bay window caboose, the crew monitoring the train sits in the middle of the car in a section of wall that projects from the side of the caboose. The windows set into these extended walls resemble architectural bay windows, so the caboose type is called a bay window caboose. This type afforded a better view of the side of the train and eliminated the falling hazard of the cupola.[citation needed] It is thought to have first been used on the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad in 1923, but is particularly associated with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which built all of its cabooses in this design starting from an experimental model in 1930. The bay window gained favor with many railroads because it eliminated the need for additional clearances in tunnels and overpasses.


1024px-Caboose.JPG


Extended-vision
In the extended-vision or wide-vision caboose, the sides of the cupola project beyond the side of the car body. Rock Island created some of these by rebuilding some standard cupola cabooses with windowed extensions applied to the sides of the cupola itself, but by far, the greatest number have the entire cupola compartment enlarged. This model was introduced by the International Car Company and saw service on most U.S. railroads. The expanded cupola allowed the crew to see past the top of the taller cars that began to appear after World War II, and also increased the roominess of the cupola area. Source Wikipedia Caboose types
 
View attachment 171624
https://the-caboose-hub.deviantart.com/art/URY-Caboose-no-3-544748176


The Classic Caboose: An American Legend


Perhaps no other symbol of American railroading has defined the industry as the simple caboose. An endearing piece of equipment, even to the general public, the car was an all too common sight that many folks anticipated watching pass as the end of the train went by. First reportedly developed just a few decades after the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was chartered the caboose became a vital part of a freight train for over a century with several different types and versions of the car developed during that time mostly in regards to how a particular railroad designed their particular type for everyday use (such as the Pennsylvania, Reading, B&O, and others). While still in limited use today the beloved caboose has mostly went extinct as it rapidly disappeared beginning in the 1980s.

View attachment 171625 View attachment 171626 View attachment 171627
https://www.up.com/aboutup/history/caboose/early_uses/index.htm


The origins of the railroad caboose appear to date back to the 1840s when Nat Williams, a conductor of the Auburn & Syracuse Railroad (a later affiliate of the New York Central) became fed up with cramped and uncomfortable quarters to do paperwork (a common job of the conductor, whose responsibility is general oversight and control of a train, passenger or freight), which was usually done in either a free space of a passenger car or combine/baggage car. To fix this problem, Williams found an unused boxcar and using a simple box and barrel, as a seat and desk, set up shop in the car to do his duties. Not only did he find out he had plenty of room to work but also figured that he could use the unused space to store tools (flags, lanterns, spare parts, etc.) and other essentials to have on board whenever needed (such things become commonly stored on the caboose).

Since non-locomotive personnel on freight trains did not have assigned quarters (space in the locomotive in those days was at a premium unlike today) so the “conductor’s car,” as it was originally called, quickly caught on across the industry. At some point, and it is not known exactly when, the term caboose began to be applied as the car’s name. In any event, at first these cars looked like short, stubby boxcars (or were boxcars) called bobbers, with just two axles and no truck assembly. Eventually, however, railroads began to understand the car’s potential and through the years upgrades and additions began to appear.

Perhaps the most striking feature ever applied to the railroad caboose was its cupola. According to the story, conductor T.B. Watson of the Chicago & North Western in the 1860s reportedly used a hole in a boxcar’s roof (which he was using as a caboose) to get a better vantage point of the train ahead. It is said that Watson was amazed by the view afforded from the position being able to not only see the train ahead but also from all sides, and to the rear as well. He apparently convinced C&NW shop forces to construct a type of open observation box onto an existing singe-level caboose with windows all around where one could sit and view their surroundings. The rest, as they say, is history and the common cupola was born. More here https://www.american-rails.com/caboose.html#gallery[pageGallery]/0/


Caboose Types:


View attachment 171628
original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia

Cupola or "standard"

The most common caboose form in American railroad practice has a small windowed projection on the roof, called the cupola. The crew sat in elevated seats to inspect the train from this perch.

The invention of the cupola caboose is generally attributed to T. B. Watson, a freight conductor on the Chicago and North Western Railway.




View attachment 171629

original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia

Bay window
In a bay window caboose, the crew monitoring the train sits in the middle of the car in a section of wall that projects from the side of the caboose. The windows set into these extended walls resemble architectural bay windows, so the caboose type is called a bay window caboose. This type afforded a better view of the side of the train and eliminated the falling hazard of the cupola.[citation needed] It is thought to have first been used on the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad in 1923, but is particularly associated with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which built all of its cabooses in this design starting from an experimental model in 1930. The bay window gained favor with many railroads because it eliminated the need for additional clearances in tunnels and overpasses.


View attachment 171630

Extended-vision
In the extended-vision or wide-vision caboose, the sides of the cupola project beyond the side of the car body. Rock Island created some of these by rebuilding some standard cupola cabooses with windowed extensions applied to the sides of the cupola itself, but by far, the greatest number have the entire cupola compartment enlarged. This model was introduced by the International Car Company and saw service on most U.S. railroads. The expanded cupola allowed the crew to see past the top of the taller cars that began to appear after World War II, and also increased the roominess of the cupola area. Source Wikipedia Caboose types
Back in the 1980s I know a fellow that sold surplus cabooses. I wanted one, but was not real sure what I'd do with it.
 
I'll admit to being one of those "many folks [who] anticipated watching [it] pass as the end of the train went by." It was always a highlight of the experience. I was (still am) sad to see them disappear. Why did ithey go out of use? Did an increase in the use of electronic sensors make visual inspection less necessary? That's what I've always suspected.
 
I'll admit to being one of those "many folks [who] anticipated watching [it] pass as the end of the train went by." It was always a highlight of the experience. I was (still am) sad to see them disappear. Why did it go out of use? Did an increase in the use of electronic sensors make visual inspection less necessary? That's what I've always suspected.
I still miss them. Technology made them obsolete.
 
I'll admit to being one of those "many folks [who] anticipated watching [it] pass as the end of the train went by." It was always a highlight of the experience. I was (still am) sad to see them disappear. Why did ithey go out of use? Did an increase in the use of electronic sensors make visual inspection less necessary? That's what I've always suspected.


By the 1980s the railroad caboose was on the decline. New technologies were making the car, and most of its occupants (save for the conductor), obsolete. Computers made long hours of paperwork on board trains almost redundant. Likewise, with the development of the two-way radio, EOTs (End-Of-Train devices, also known as FREDs, Flashing Rear-End Devices, which were first developed by the Florida East Coast Railway in 1969; monitored, among other things, a train’s air pressure for its brakes) and automatic hotbox detectors (which detected hotboxes without the need of human eyes to do such) made for brakeman and flagman virtually unneeded. To make matters worse, the caboose served no profitable value for railroads. Labeled “non-revenue” equipment they earned nothing and were merely a cost of doing business.

Because of this, it was clear even to the unions that the railroad caboose was out-dated and in 1982 the United Transportation Union (UTU) and most railroads reached an agreement to begin phasing out the car from active service. For instance, by the 1980s a new caboose could cost as much as $80,000 and $1,300 per train movement. https://www.american-rails.com/caboose.html#gallery[pageGallery]/0/
 
The Cozy restaurant in Thurmont, MD used to have a red caboose projecting out of the side of the building. When I was a kid, I used to love exploring it. They stopped opening it to the public in later years and kept Christmas decorations inside. Man, I wish I could've climbed on one last time before they closed the Cozy...
There is an old old antique shop nearby with a caboose.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'll admit to being one of those "many folks [who] anticipated watching [it] pass as the end of the train went by." It was always a highlight of the experience. I was (still am) sad to see them disappear. Why did ithey go out of use? Did an increase in the use of electronic sensors make visual inspection less necessary? That's what I've always suspected.
Fewer men required to man the train. Men are always the first casualties of new technology.
 
For years, there was a caboose on a hill near the Bellville exit near Mansfield, Ohio on I-71; as kids, we always sang the "Little Red Caboose" song as we went past it (my dad's parents lived in Mansfield, so it was a regular sight). Later, an engine and passenger car was added, and another structure and it became a diner. We've eaten there a couple of times. There's even a sleeper car nearby you can rent out as a "cabin" although I imagine it wouldn't be all that comfortable this time of year...

OHBELdinertrain_wanderer1_620x300.jpg


https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/38155
 
View attachment 171624
https://the-caboose-hub.deviantart.com/art/URY-Caboose-no-3-544748176


The Classic Caboose: An American Legend


Perhaps no other symbol of American railroading has defined the industry as the simple caboose. An endearing piece of equipment, even to the general public, the car was an all too common sight that many folks anticipated watching pass as the end of the train went by. First reportedly developed just a few decades after the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was chartered the caboose became a vital part of a freight train for over a century with several different types and versions of the car developed during that time mostly in regards to how a particular railroad designed their particular type for everyday use (such as the Pennsylvania, Reading, B&O, and others). While still in limited use today the beloved caboose has mostly went extinct as it rapidly disappeared beginning in the 1980s.

View attachment 171625 View attachment 171626 View attachment 171627
https://www.up.com/aboutup/history/caboose/early_uses/index.htm


The origins of the railroad caboose appear to date back to the 1840s when Nat Williams, a conductor of the Auburn & Syracuse Railroad (a later affiliate of the New York Central) became fed up with cramped and uncomfortable quarters to do paperwork (a common job of the conductor, whose responsibility is general oversight and control of a train, passenger or freight), which was usually done in either a free space of a passenger car or combine/baggage car. To fix this problem, Williams found an unused boxcar and using a simple box and barrel, as a seat and desk, set up shop in the car to do his duties. Not only did he find out he had plenty of room to work but also figured that he could use the unused space to store tools (flags, lanterns, spare parts, etc.) and other essentials to have on board whenever needed (such things become commonly stored on the caboose).

Since non-locomotive personnel on freight trains did not have assigned quarters (space in the locomotive in those days was at a premium unlike today) so the “conductor’s car,” as it was originally called, quickly caught on across the industry. At some point, and it is not known exactly when, the term caboose began to be applied as the car’s name. In any event, at first these cars looked like short, stubby boxcars (or were boxcars) called bobbers, with just two axles and no truck assembly. Eventually, however, railroads began to understand the car’s potential and through the years upgrades and additions began to appear.

Perhaps the most striking feature ever applied to the railroad caboose was its cupola. According to the story, conductor T.B. Watson of the Chicago & North Western in the 1860s reportedly used a hole in a boxcar’s roof (which he was using as a caboose) to get a better vantage point of the train ahead. It is said that Watson was amazed by the view afforded from the position being able to not only see the train ahead but also from all sides, and to the rear as well. He apparently convinced C&NW shop forces to construct a type of open observation box onto an existing singe-level caboose with windows all around where one could sit and view their surroundings. The rest, as they say, is history and the common cupola was born. More here https://www.american-rails.com/caboose.html#gallery[pageGallery]/0/


Caboose Types:


View attachment 171628
original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia

Cupola or "standard"

The most common caboose form in American railroad practice has a small windowed projection on the roof, called the cupola. The crew sat in elevated seats to inspect the train from this perch.

The invention of the cupola caboose is generally attributed to T. B. Watson, a freight conductor on the Chicago and North Western Railway.




View attachment 171629

original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia

Bay window
In a bay window caboose, the crew monitoring the train sits in the middle of the car in a section of wall that projects from the side of the caboose. The windows set into these extended walls resemble architectural bay windows, so the caboose type is called a bay window caboose. This type afforded a better view of the side of the train and eliminated the falling hazard of the cupola.[citation needed] It is thought to have first been used on the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad in 1923, but is particularly associated with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which built all of its cabooses in this design starting from an experimental model in 1930. The bay window gained favor with many railroads because it eliminated the need for additional clearances in tunnels and overpasses.


View attachment 171630

Extended-vision
In the extended-vision or wide-vision caboose, the sides of the cupola project beyond the side of the car body. Rock Island created some of these by rebuilding some standard cupola cabooses with windowed extensions applied to the sides of the cupola itself, but by far, the greatest number have the entire cupola compartment enlarged. This model was introduced by the International Car Company and saw service on most U.S. railroads. The expanded cupola allowed the crew to see past the top of the taller cars that began to appear after World War II, and also increased the roominess of the cupola area. Source Wikipedia Caboose types
The company I retired from manufactured components for the End-Of-Train markers, the gadgets that replaced the caboose.
 
The company I retired from manufactured components for the End-Of-Train markers, the gadgets that replaced the caboose.
End-of-train device
The end of train device (ETD), sometimes referred to as an EOT, flashing rear-end device (FRED) or sense and braking unit (SBU) is an electronic device mounted on the end of freight trains in lieu of a caboose. They are divided into three categories: "dumb" units, which only provide a visible indication of the rear of the train with a flashing red taillight; "average intelligence" units with a brake pipe pressure gauge; and "smart" units, which send back data to the crew in the locomotive via radio-based telemetry.[1] They originated in North America, and are also used elsewhere in the world, where they may include complete End of Train Air System (ETAS) or Sense and Brake Unit (SBU) devices.[2][3]
 
End-of-train device
The end of train device (ETD), sometimes referred to as an EOT, flashing rear-end device (FRED) or sense and braking unit (SBU) is an electronic device mounted on the end of freight trains in lieu of a caboose. They are divided into three categories: "dumb" units, which only provide a visible indication of the rear of the train with a flashing red taillight; "average intelligence" units with a brake pipe pressure gauge; and "smart" units, which send back data to the crew in the locomotive via radio-based telemetry.[1] They originated in North America, and are also used elsewhere in the world, where they may include complete End of Train Air System (ETAS) or Sense and Brake Unit (SBU) devices.[2][3]
We made internal components for the smart units. A sensor and a couple valves that helped monitor the trainline - the main brake pipe system pressure.
 
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