Caboose, Which Way Is The Front?

There really is no "FRONT" to a caboose. No pater which direction it is going, on the rear of a train, or a caboose hop, the marker lamps are on the rear. When the caboose gets to the end of its run, the crew simply puts the marker lamps on the other end, and the caboose goes the other direction.

 

Railroads did NOT turn cabooses around so that the smoke jack was always on the back!!!!!!!

hmm, I thought the back of the caboose was where the marker lights were hung... otherwise it did not matter...

I'm not aware of any railroad taking the time to turn a caboose before sending it back out, regardless whether it was bay window, center or offset cupola.  My guess would be the railroads simply didn't worry about it.

And with regard to which end was the B end; whichever way the brake cylinder pointed would have been the B end.

Curt

And your guess is 100% correct.

Gentlemen,

I thank you all for your valuable information.

Most cabooses had a brake wheel at both ends, and newer cabooses had blinking lights at both ends, that is why I ask.

I am not trying to be a wisenheimer, but I was thinking about the cab direction/front, etc., so, I figure you folks have more experience in railroading, than I do and that's why I asked you.

Again, thank you all,
Ralph

 

 

Thank you Wyhog, for your added and interesting info.

Ralph

Certainly not unheard of, but VERY rare. Obviously things may have been done a bit differently out in Montana or Wyoming, but you sure would not have seen the NYC, PRR, or SP, all railroads having the cupola "off-center"styles, wasting time turning THEIR cabooses.

Thank you Hot Water,

For your additional info.

I guess, depending on the railroad and certain circumstances, it did not matter which way the 'A' and/or 'B' end, or 'Off Center' cupola, ran in a particular direction.

Ralph

Put an empty flat ahead of the caboose,, now everyone's happy no matter which end the cupola is on...

As I remember, there were policies/procedures against empty flat cars and ANY tank cars being placed immediately ahead of the caboose and/or immediately behind the locomotive, on main line freight trains.

When a caboose used to be assigned to a specific conductor, he may choose to turn it for his personal preference, but there is no rule for proper direction. Like Hot Water said, very rarely was the time taken to turn a caboose. Just like an engine consist, unless they need a bi-directional consist for a turn around trip, which ever way its facing, is the way it goes.

Gregg, Hot Water and Laidoffsick,

I want to thank you all for your valuable info.

I didn't realize that this topic was going to be so important and informative.

Thank you,

Ralph

And SP had PLENTY of bay window cabooses!

In the steam era?

Thank you Dom,

I appreciate your info., as it teaches me more of the good ole' American railroading that is dominate!!!!!!
Something more I have learned from Hot Water of the Espee bay window cabs being omnipresent in the steam era!

Thank you again, Hot Water. 

Ralph 

Never heard of that one.

Now, depending on what era you are speaking of, loaded flat cars without a bulkhead where lading could shift (possibly into the cab) would be a no-no. Then along came the dangerous tank car era, where tank cars loaded with dangerous chemicals had to be the sixth car ahead of an cab (and behind a unit).

Rarer still, after an accidental uncoupling and subsequent very hard coupling, N&W ruled that scale test cars, without a brake system, had to be no less than the second car ahead of a caboose.

The marker lights are always at the back.    But on the prototypes, they are movable, therefore either direction was used.    They did not turn them.   The crew just moved the markers from the bracket at one end to the brackets at the other end.

Never heard of that one  either....  Ok how about an  empty  gon.

 

 

So you think all the Yardmasters in all the freight yards in the U.S. always kept a "stash" of empty gondolas, to place ahead of every caboose, just so the rear end crew could see better?????

Absolutely not, it was a joke. .

Marker lights originally were basically oil-burning lanterns hung on each side of the end of the caboose. Cabooses had brackets at all four corners for hanging the markers on.

 

Cupolas have seats facing each other, so you can sit facing forward no matter which direction the car was travelling. Bay window cabooses often had a rotating seat, so it could be turned to face either direction...and yes, there were quite a few wood bay-window cabooses in the 'steam era'. Unfortunately about the only models you see of bay window cabooses (outside of craftsmans kits or brass) are later steel ones.

 

http://www.midcontinent.org/co.../caboos/cmo6110.html

I'm by no means a caboose expert...but it looks like pretty much any type of rolling stock could be found coupled in front of a caboose.  Matt

No, but, I know where there is a track full of empty tank cars in gondolas loaded on flat cars. 

On SP bay cabooses, they had marker lights on the top of the car!

Thank you all,

I appreciate all of your valuable information.

This, forum is an enjoyable institute of learning.

Ralph 

There are / were restrictions on what could go on the front of the train - not a good idea to put a couple of wood boxcars filled with blasting powder right behind the steam locomotive - but I've never heard of restrictions of what goes in front of the caboose.

 

BTW 100 years ago, cabooses bodies and the typical house car (boxcar, reefer, stock car) body were both usually around 8' / 8'-6" high...so the cupola gave a great view over the top of the train. When higher cars came along, such as the 10'6" high 40' and 50' steel boxcar of the 1930's-40's, it began to be harder to see over the cars from the caboose. That's part of the reason why bay-window cabooses (and extended vision cabooses, which in effect combines a cupola and bay-window) became more popular after WW2.

 

(The other big issue was safety, avoiding falls from the cupola to the caboose floor.)

It was against the RULES to drink while on duty.

Stix and Charlie,

Thank you for both of your info., which is needed.

Ralph

Which way is the locomotive?  The front of the caboose faces the locomotive.

(the back of the caboose may face the front of a locomotive in a cornfield meet,

if track is not cleared for a following train)

Doesn't the "rear" of a caboose face the front of a rear end helper/pusher locomotive, when a helper/pusher is coupled on behind the caboose?

Really ?

And the chairs where the crew watched the train could be turned.   I don't think the crews or the unions would want people kneeing in a chair facing the wrong way for 100 miles or "federal hours".

It has been my experience that the seats did not actually turn, but, that the back merely flipped so the seat could be used either way. Then there were those cabs that had a separate seat on each end of the cupola.

I've come to the conclusion that I know less now about the front and back of a caboose then I did when I started reading this thread. I'm goin with the back is in the back and the front is in the front regardless of which way the caboose is pointing. 

As illustrated by this Mullet River C&NW model:

 

 

Let's not over think this, the railroads had it figured out long ago...

 

Rusty

Pictures worth 1,000 words department:  two different Santa Fe freights in Kansas City, MO, June 1986.

 

 

 

 

Jim,

Years ago, as a kid living in Manhattan, N.Y.C., N.Y. and with my family, taking either subway and/or elevated trains, the cars would have straw seat cushions and straw back rests, which the back rest could be repositioned, while still attached to the base of the seat, by moving said back rest, one could facilitate a different facing position.

Ralph 

B&O Bill,

Great photos.,

Thank you,

Ralph 

 

My wife even said ...there is no front!!!the front is the direction the caboose is being pulled !!!i said you must be right honey !.if the caboose goes the other way we can just flip the seats over.!! and that can be the new front!!! that should clear it up ! CRJ