Cabooses and Fred's: The Rear End of the Train

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Lake Superior Railroad Museum & NS Scenic Railroad

2 жыл бұрын

Two Cabooses are currently in the shop building getting some work done over the winter... giving us a chance to tell the story of the Cabooses how they came to be and the difference between an Extended Vision Caboose and a Bay Window Caboose, and why did the Messabe switch to the Bay Window Caboose? Find out in today's video tour of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum at the St. Louis County Depot in Downtown Duluth, Minnesota.
You can see all nine of the cabooses in the museum's collection in a previous video we did about them here: • What happened to the C...
Learn more about the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, Minnesota at: www.lsrm.org or you can visit the North Shore Scenic Railroad's website to learn more about the Caboose Crewz Package at: www.DuluthTrains.com

Пікірлер: 55

@DelayInBlockProductions 2 жыл бұрын

You guys are one of the few museums that “get it” when it comes to social media. I love watching your videos.

@NorthShoreScenicRailroadDuluth 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

@James_Knott 2 жыл бұрын

Years ago, I was a technician with CN Telecommunication, which was the telecom division of CN Rail. Back in the mid '70s, when I worked out of Capreol, Ontario, I often rode on freights, either in the locomotive or caboose or van as the crews called it. Since the engineers didn't like stopping the train, if they didn't have to, I often hopped on or off a moving train. Also, there was one trip when I got on the train in Foleyet, after midnight, to go back to Capreol. I was sleeping on a bench in the caboose, but was often tossed off by the motion. BTW, I was listening to music and just before I clicked on this video, Gordon Lightfoot's "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" started to play. ;-)

@isusey Жыл бұрын

Excellent video

@trainroomgary 2 жыл бұрын

Well told RR History - Cool • Cheers from the Detroit & Mackinac Railway 🚂

@ferky123 2 жыл бұрын

There's another word that conductors have for flashing, especially the ones that were laid off.

@bryanphillips6666 2 жыл бұрын

"F@#k&n Rear End Device

@crisp_997 2 жыл бұрын

I know one blue caboose out in Laurel Montana. He's flashy and usually sits with a blue diesel :)

@Lucius_Chiaraviglio 2 жыл бұрын

That is the first I had heard of that explanation of the origin of "Soo Line". Thanks.

@duron700r Жыл бұрын

Another wonderful video!

@user-lq4mo8dw1p 4 ай бұрын

When my dad got out of Vietnam a caboose became a dry house when he hired on the Rock Island....be in blue island on the caboose hop track, wake up 5 hours after the job ended with a pile of the crews beer cans .....when he hired on the CNW it was the same till around 1982....I remember when I was a kid my mom would call blue island yard asking about my dad....the trainmaster said when he wakes up we will send him home....lmao

@keithlewis9106 2 жыл бұрын

I used to work at the company that made the windows for the caboose.

@forsakenghost7054 2 жыл бұрын

I always wondered what the SOO line was it seemed like a odd name to me love the videos :)

@James_Knott 2 жыл бұрын

It's not an odd name if you're familiar with the cities of Sault Ste Marie. There's one on each side of the Canada, U.S. border. They're often called "The Soo".

@MrAwesomedude808 2 жыл бұрын

The Soo line actually was 2 different railroads. The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad was referred to as the Soo line for the phonetic spelling of Sault. That ran until 1961 when it merged with other major subsidiaries of the Canadian Pacific to form the Soo Line Railroad. The Soo Line Railroad ran until 1990 as an independent railroad.

@alcopower5710 2 жыл бұрын

I’ve always much preferred the cupola to the bay window as I find it more pleasing to the eyes but I love all cabooses.

@James_Knott 2 жыл бұрын

When I rode in a caboose, I usually sat in the cupola. I had an excellent view of the night sky in the middle of nowhere in Northern Ontario. On occasion, I would see the Northern Lights. When riding at the other end of the train, I'd sit in the 3rd seat in the locomotive, which is in the middle. This also gave a great view of the track ahead. On one occasion, I went out to just below the headlight, to take pictures.

@alcopower5710 2 жыл бұрын

@@James_Knott I bet you got some amazing pictures 👍

@James_Knott 2 жыл бұрын

@@alcopower5710 I did. I also took some of the cab interior and also looking back along the train as it went around a curve.

@James_Knott 2 жыл бұрын

@@alcopower5710 Another benefit of that job was getting a call out when I was able to take a passenger train. I'd be sitting in the club car, having a beer, while getting paid time & a half!

@donlipsky2696 2 жыл бұрын

Railroads are a dangerous work environment and so are caboose’s. Back in the 70’s a crew was deadheading to Chicago. Normally the deadheading engineer would ride in a trailing locomotive, but in this case he decided to ride in the caboose. At sometime he laid down on the bunk that had a thin foam padded cushion, I wouldn’t really call it a bed, and fell asleep. About two thirds of the way to Chicago the train went into emergency. The sleeping engineer was thrown/slid forward and ended up breaking his leg.

@James_Knott 2 жыл бұрын

That's the bench I was referring to in my post (above). However, I just wound up on the floor a few times, no injuries. Also, when sitting in the cupola, there are foot rests that are actually braces against the shock of the slack running out. Some of the retired cabooses were converted to offices for use at work sites along the track.

@donlipsky2696 2 жыл бұрын

@@James_Knott I know all about slack action, I’ve been chewed out a few times by conductors about a bad ride. The last knew cabooses were only used on work trains on the BNSF to allow safer, faster back up moves.

@kimrok1 2 жыл бұрын

Never heard them called coaches before

@bcgrittner8076 2 жыл бұрын

I was on my company’s running team years ago. They called me the caboose.

@DavesTrainsAndAutomobiles 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tour... I love running my G scale SOO caboose & good thing the guys are glued to to their seats 😉 but they have come loose.. Now I know why... 😎👍

@NorthShoreScenicRailroadDuluth 2 жыл бұрын

Glue or seatbelts work! Ha. Glad you have a model of the Soo Caboose!

@douglasschultz9808 2 жыл бұрын

I always wondered what SOO stood for. I’m more of a PRR, Chessie, and Jersey Central guy.

@garysprandel1817 2 жыл бұрын

While the the hometown road ( CNW) was heavy on the bay window the next road east of town was the Soo. Many a time I sat in the backseat of dad or gramps car in suburban Chicago watching those shiney new Soo hacks roll by. Have heard it said each standard draft gear freight car has a foot of travel in slack per car so not counting travel for cushion/damage free draft gear that 40 feet of slack run in or out on a 40 car freight train. Heard some of the crew that had to walk back to deal with a balky EOT unit had a different less family friendly translation of what FRED stood for.

@NorthShoreScenicRailroadDuluth 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing the story Gary! We have heard of the alternate meaning of "fred" before too ;-)

@Retired88M 10 ай бұрын

I wonder if for safety reasons and to stop the slack action if passenger car couplers would have been a good option for a caboose since it seems from riding Amtrak there seems to be a minimal amount of slack action

@KirtH27 2 жыл бұрын

I might have asked this on another video? Back in the steam age how did railroads keep all of those steam engines operating in the frigid northern Minnesota winters?

@NorthShoreScenicRailroadDuluth 2 жыл бұрын

Surely it wasn't fun. The trick is they have to stay hot all the time, or be brought inside (roundhouses were more common) for temporary storage or to drain them out. Think of the extra work to keep fires going all the time in locomotives that were being stored!

@ATrainVideo 2 жыл бұрын

The inside of the Soo caboose looks very similar to the inside of the caboose at the Rock Island Depot Museum in Eldon, Iowa. Probably the same manufacturer. Although painted to look Rock Island, it's former ICG, but I don't know its full history. I'll be looking more into it.

@NorthShoreScenicRailroadDuluth 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds good! Many cabooses were very similar inside, especially the more modern ones.

@markmay1655 Жыл бұрын

@@NorthShoreScenicRailroadDuluth why are almost all of them painted a mint green inside? Our B&O caboose is the same green inside.... center cupola that's is becoming a airbnb

@ericlakota1847 Жыл бұрын

I'm soprised they need a generator and didn't just have better dynamo on the wheels

@dougpersell8776 2 жыл бұрын

Can you tell me what the first caboose you showed would weigh with out its trucks? We have one we may have to move it.

@diegomontoya796 Жыл бұрын

Can the caboose coupling be modified to compensate better for the slack action? I bet it can.

@wooderdsaunders7429 Жыл бұрын

How do they control slack action or a passenger train? And was this technology not used because of price.

@cerneysmallengines 2 жыл бұрын

Is there a modern use for caboose cars. I was driving home from work in Minneapolis and saw a caboose on the end of a train just a few nights ago. I don't know what company it belonged to, but it was on a line I typically see Canadian Pacific's on.

@NorthShoreScenicRailroadDuluth 2 жыл бұрын

Almost always, the cabooses on modern trains are for shove moves... at some point that train likely has a spot where it has to back up for a considerable amount of time, and there needs to be a person on the rear when the train backs up. Crews can hang on the sides of cars, but if its for a long time, its better to have a platform for them to do stand on or go inside to watch the rear as the train backs up. - Josh

@cerneysmallengines 2 жыл бұрын

@@NorthShoreScenicRailroadDuluth awesome. I hadn't thought of that.

@James_Knott 2 жыл бұрын

Some were converted to offices, for use along the track at work sites.

@nancyhaun 2 жыл бұрын

Does anyone know how old the SOO wood Caboose 169 would be? It still exists in the North Woods!

@wooderdsaunders4640 9 ай бұрын

The men in the caboose watched the train for malfunctions, how and who watched the train malfunctions on a passenger train?

@fredspindor1624 2 жыл бұрын

Instead of "Stem to stern", wouldn't it be "from A to B

@sharkheadism Жыл бұрын

I have my doubts about how supposedly dangerous waycars were. Every railroader knew what slack was and after a little while could identify times and locations when slack might present a problem and anticipate sudden movement. Yes guys did get knocked down, not saying that didn't happen, it just wasn't a big deal. Part of the job then and now, the only thing that changed were lawyers.