Why so few cabooses with flashing rear lights?

@Alan Mancus posted:

where can you purchase the different colors  led's 3 and 5 MM ?

Alan

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Everywhere!

I get them on eBay, AliExpress, LED-Switch, Unique LEDs, Lighthouse LEDs, etc.

And if you are a person like me who tries to get as close as possible to the maximum purchase amount for the minimum shipping charge you add a few 3mm & 5mm red blinking LEDs to your Mouser order.  LOL.

Just a FYI for anyone who might be looking for the NYC Pacemaker caboose (road number 20112) posted by @RSJB18 above.  That caboose was part of a four car set 6-17246; and the caboose’s item number is 6-19754.

Here are couple of pictures of mine.

Note that “Strobe Light” is listed as a feature.

I put a MTH diecast truck with flashing end-of-train device on the back of my Lionel Central New Jersey caboose.  Doesn't have an operating coupler but the original back truck didn't have a coupler on it anyway.

@JeffPo posted:

I put a MTH diecast truck with flashing end-of-train device on the back of my Lionel Central New Jersey caboose.  Doesn't have an operating coupler but the original back truck didn't have a coupler on it anyway.

That may be way away from prototypical, but if the train approaching from the rear doesn't see that, they're blind.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

That may be way away from prototypical, but if the train approaching from the rear doesn't see that, they're blind.

I'm from North Carolina and grew up hearing about the ghost of Joe Baldwin, who had his head whacked off when a locomotive ran into the back of his caboose.  Didn't want a repeat on MY railroad! 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maco_light

@Rusty Traque posted:

Yep.  That's the case because freight cars aren't equipped with marker light brackets.  The FRED also monitors the air brake pipe pressure.

But that still doesn't mean all cabooses had flashing red lights.

I'm sure not all did, and I don't know if they flashed or were solid, but there are plenty of photos on line showing single red rear marker lights mounted on the edge of the roof and in some cases right below the running board on the cabooses that had them, just like the models. During a brief look on line I found examples from WM/Chessie, Santa Fe, Milwaukee Road, MKT and Great Northern, among others.

There were a number of comments from TrainOrders about single red lights on the rear of cabooses, like this one:
"The side marker lights were usually either red and green or red and yellow. They were in use until about the mid 1970s when just a single red light at the rear of the caboose came into acceptance."

Breezinup,

Great info.

While we are at it, what is with the caboose models that have round "porthole" windows.

Were there really such windows used?  (They look kinda ridiculous.)

Mannyrock

@Mannyrock posted:

While we are at it, what is with the caboose models that have round "porthole" windows.

Were there really such windows used?  (They look kinda ridiculous.)

To see out of silly!

Yes, there were plenty of cabooses with the round windows, the PRR N5c is one such real prototype.

http://www.whippanyrailwaymuse...s/penn-n5c-cabin-car