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Did we ever get a good explanation on why they got rid of cabooses?
Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:28 pm
Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:28 pm
As a kid looking for the caboose was one of my favorite car ride activities. I remember they told us some story about technology changing so they don’t need them anymore?
I’ll tell you what, I find myself sitting and waiting for a lot more trains than I used to when cabooses were employed. Was it just a cost cutting measure?
I’ll tell you what, I find myself sitting and waiting for a lot more trains than I used to when cabooses were employed. Was it just a cost cutting measure?
Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:29 pm to OysterPoBoy
quote:
Did we ever get a good explanation on why they got rid of cabooses?
It isn’t PC
Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:32 pm to OysterPoBoy
Cost cutting measures. Railroads lobbied to have fewer crew members, congress took the money and made it so. It is how everything works. When you don't have as many crew you don't need crew quarters.
Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:41 pm to OysterPoBoy
More automation = less crew, so no need.
They don’t have coal cars any more either.
Edit:
My bad - They don’t have tenders any more.
They don’t have coal cars any more either.
Edit:
My bad - They don’t have tenders any more.
This post was edited on 1/2/23 at 3:24 pm
Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:42 pm to OysterPoBoy
The caboose was replaced with this; it’s called an “End of train device.”


Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:43 pm to OysterPoBoy
quote:
technology changing so they don’t need them anymore
Technology and staffing requirements for trains. Now it only takes two in the engine and one is really a back up.
Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:45 pm to OysterPoBoy
I still appreciate a good caboose on a lady.


Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:49 pm to RockinDood
Most trains I see come through here have another Locomotive on the end.
This post was edited on 1/2/23 at 1:50 pm
Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:52 pm to OK Roughneck
quote:
Most trains I see come through here have another Locomotive on the end.
Soy trains. Just like too many things in 2023. They like to go both ways.
Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:53 pm to OysterPoBoy
So you’ve never had a train come to a stop and the only car blocking you was the caboose?
Posted on 1/2/23 at 1:55 pm to GonzalesTiger2
quote:
They don’t have coal cars any more either.
Train loads of coal roll through my town daily
Posted on 1/2/23 at 2:02 pm to High C
quote:
Wouldn’t it be cabeese?
Not sure. Could caboose be the plural of caboose? Such as moose?
Posted on 1/2/23 at 2:02 pm to High C
No one wants to be the caboose when you’re running a train
Posted on 1/2/23 at 2:03 pm to Ghost of Colby
quote:
Soy trains. Just like too many things in 2023. They like to go both ways.
I'll never look at a train the same way again.


Posted on 1/2/23 at 2:04 pm to OysterPoBoy
Militant whites began complaining about the harsh treatment and substandard level of service they had become used to in the decades prior which led to widespread civil unrest and demonstrations across the North and Mid West.
Many cited their frustrations with the available selection of bourbon and cigars. Mainly, however, the quality and preparation of appetizers by inexperienced sous chefs with little or no culinary training was coupled with the limited variety of entrées, which essentially was the straw that broke the camels back.
The customary soup and salad had, for many, begun to fall out of favor due to restrictions placed on the manner with which it was consumed i.e. being required to use forks, knives, and spoons, and the more widely ridiculed practice of being offered napkins. The social acceptance of consuming with one’s bare hands was rising in popularity and was largely attributed to the success and profitability of the newly created hot dog industry.
The result was unexpected, but welcomed after the quality of prepackaged gas station sandwiches were significantly improved with the addition of popular condiments such as mayonnaise. With the invention of saran wrap, which became widely available to low income families, most railways began serving all the sleeper cars and commuters.
This gave many the satisfaction of knowing they were suffering together without the viable alternative of ordering from menu à la cart. But more importantly, it began to antiquate the pestering thought in the back of everyone’s mind, that if you could afford better travel accommodations, they were available.
Many cited their frustrations with the available selection of bourbon and cigars. Mainly, however, the quality and preparation of appetizers by inexperienced sous chefs with little or no culinary training was coupled with the limited variety of entrées, which essentially was the straw that broke the camels back.
The customary soup and salad had, for many, begun to fall out of favor due to restrictions placed on the manner with which it was consumed i.e. being required to use forks, knives, and spoons, and the more widely ridiculed practice of being offered napkins. The social acceptance of consuming with one’s bare hands was rising in popularity and was largely attributed to the success and profitability of the newly created hot dog industry.
The result was unexpected, but welcomed after the quality of prepackaged gas station sandwiches were significantly improved with the addition of popular condiments such as mayonnaise. With the invention of saran wrap, which became widely available to low income families, most railways began serving all the sleeper cars and commuters.
This gave many the satisfaction of knowing they were suffering together without the viable alternative of ordering from menu à la cart. But more importantly, it began to antiquate the pestering thought in the back of everyone’s mind, that if you could afford better travel accommodations, they were available.
Posted on 1/2/23 at 2:05 pm to armsdealer
quote:
Cost cutting measures. Railroads lobbied to have fewer crew members, congress took the money and made it so.
This is only about half accurate. It was not a situation of the filthy rich railroads trying to pocket more money and underhandedly spreading the wealth.
The largest bankruptcy before Enron was the Penn Central railroad. Concurrently in the 1970s, most trains required 5 men to operate. Also concurrently, there were perhaps 10-15 railroads in bankruptcy.
If you look at the regulatory climate for railroads at the time, it was awful. Five man crews were required. Rates were set by the government. Ability to add and drop service frequency or entire routes was also fed regulated. Meanwhile, the states knew the railroads couldn't exactly cut and run, so they set up very high tax rates. Ergo the bankruptcies. Penn Central. Erie Lackawanna. Milwaukee Road. Rock Island Lines. Delaware & Hudson. New Jersey Central. Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia & Reading. Boston & Maine. Quite a few others very close to it.
It took nationalization (as an operator of last resort) of the Penn Central and a few other lines, then egregiously large subsidies to run parallel routes and over-crewed trains before Bob Dole's wife and a few others realized the railroads should manage their own affairs in terms of crew size and rates.
Most trains run very safely with two men in front and a radio-controlled device at the back.
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