Western Railroad Discussion > Caboose questions

Good day everyone,

I was just wondering if any railroads, especially class 1s will ever buy cabooses for there trains ever again?

Does anybody know when the last caboose was built and where it is today?

I'm hearing them getting use with MoW crews in the northern areas as 'warming cars'. That purpose also has seen some interesting modifications to surplus cars and/or cabooses.

wigwag Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good day everyone,
>
> I was just wondering if any railroads, especially
> class 1s will ever buy cabooses for there trains
> ever again?
>
> Does anybody know when the last caboose was built
> and where it is today?

Seriously? Why would they need them? Cabooses are long gone and won't be manufactured again. That's like asking if home phones will ever return and Ma Bell will make them for us or railroads will go back to using the telegraph keys to communicate, or Alco will ever make locomotives again...GEEZE!

A few short years ago, record players started making a comeback so.......

Last new caboose was probably built in the very early 1980s.

No, they will not go back to them. Besides, who is going to
ride in one in a world of two person crews?

Cabooses? Never. Shoving platforms? Maybe.

Shortline excursion train passengers love 'em!

Dick Samuels

Cliffs619 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Seriously? Why would they need them? Cabooses
> are long gone and won't be manufactured again.
> That's like asking if home phones will ever return
> and Ma Bell will make them for us or railroads
> will go back to using the telegraph keys to
> communicate, or Alco will ever make locomotives
> again...GEEZE!

GEEZE, go easy on the guy, he was just asking a simple question. By the way, home phones are still in use today.

ts2100 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cliffs619 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Seriously? Why would they need them? Cabooses
> > are long gone and won't be manufactured again.
> > That's like asking if home phones will ever
> return
> > and Ma Bell will make them for us or railroads
> > will go back to using the telegraph keys to
> > communicate, or Alco will ever make locomotives
> > again...GEEZE!
>
> GEEZE, go easy on the guy, he was just asking a
> simple question. By the way, home phones are still
> in use today.
Oh well just another question that some over reacted to, typical train orders answers. Know some are still in use for various things on some active railroads that are not public rides.

If, and a big if, somebody wanted to order a caboose, or multiple cabooses, it could be done; the manufacturers are still out there. Realistically it's highly unlikely you'll see any orders for cabooses as we knew them.

By the way, for those who think "old will never be new" again, check out old school typewriters. I just saw a story they're making a comeback, especially for government use, as they can't be hacked. So never say never. And yes, I also still have a home phone, although not rotary (I did move beyond that).

I have one of those old rotary phones. Don't use it though.

> I also still have a home phone, although not rotary (I did move beyond that).

I still have a home phone too, but ATT U-Verse won't respond to a (pulsed) dial, just touch-tone buttons. So the rotary phone became a non-dialing extension.

I think I saw an adapter on the internet that supposedly allows a rotary phone to work.

Yup, my 1930 Western Electric dial phone works just fine, thank you.

Rick2582 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yup, my 1930 Western Electric dial phone works
> just fine, thank you.


So does my candlestick....

Rick2582 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yup, my 1930 Western Electric dial phone works
> just fine, thank you.

And during a week long blackout after a Halloween snowstorm 5 years ago, my genuine Ma Bell touch tone phones worked perfectly on the Baby Bell (wired) phone system I was using. Needless to say, portable phones, and even cell phones weren't working due to lack of electricity during that time! Nor was cable TV! Perhaps that's why Ma Bell puts her phone lines below the cable company lines which are below the power lines on the poles. It would take a major tree-fall to break through 3-6 power lines and 2-3 cable company 'bundles' of lines.

Agree with the others - home phones (land lines) are alive and well. Still dependable.

How did my thread on cabooses morph into a discussion on phones? :(

wigwag Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How did my thread on cabooses morph into a
> discussion on phones? :(

We're all ding-a-lings?