a train without a caboose still looks incomplete to me.

Back in the '70s, when I worked for CN in Northern Ontario, I often rode freights, in either the engine or caboose (van as they called it). On one occasion, I left Foleyet around midnight and arrived in Capreol about 7:30 AM. I tried to sleep on a bench in the caboose, but would occasionally be tossed off by the motion. One other thing, when riding a train in the middle of nowhere, in Northern Ontario, the night sky view was fantastic from the top of a caboose. I'd often see the Northern Lights.

You forgot to mention how roller bearings also contributed to the end of the caboose. Friction bearings required close scrutiny due to overheating and even catching fire. The reason for the Cupola is to observe the train in curves and watch for indications (smoke) of a “ hot box”, over heated bearings caused many train derailments.

My grandfather was a conductor for the DW &P and worked out of Virginia, Minnesota way back in the day. Unfortunately he passed when I was very young and I never really knew him . I visited the Lake Superior Railroad Museum back in 1990 and I sat in the DW&P caboose. I'm pretty sure my grandfather spent a lot of hours in that caboose. It was a great experience for me to get to be somewhere where he had been. I hope visit there again in the near future.

Our host looks good in that hat. Maybe that's another story?

Having been born in a house about 50 yards from the busy main line of a railroad and living no more than a half a block from the line for my first 13 years, I called the caboose an "All-gone" for a while after I first learned to talk. As a model railroader I know that the two parts of a train that get the most attention are the locomotive, particularly if it's a steam engine, and the caboose. I own six O scale (1/4"=1') 4-wheel "Bobbers," that're waiting to be detailed for the 1910 era. I love 'em! Thanks. Stay safe, everybody.

I wish I could live in a caboose. They look so cozy.

Right after the end of Desert Storm in 1991, my unit, 3d Armored Cavalry, out of Ft. Bliss, was one of the first units to return to the States. Upon our return, the entire regiment was authorized 30 days' leave. However, I was due to get out in October, and I wanted to have some leave left over for that, so I took just two weeks. Upon return, I was assigned to a detail going to Beaumont, TX, to unload our tanks from the ships and rail-load them for return to Ft. Bliss (in El Paso). It was easy duty; a ship would only come in every other or every other day, and it would take us only about 12 hours or so to unload and reload the tanks on the railcars. However, Army regulations being out-of-date, the Army wanted to have troops on the trains themselves as "rail guards". So the rail company dredged up an old caboose, stuck it on the end, and sure enough, me and another guy got tagged as rail guards for one load of tanks and other vehicles headed back to Ft. Bliss. It was pretty ratty; obviously hadn't been used in a while. No power to it, no restroom, a couple of bench seats, very plain and ordinary. They gave us a case of MREs and a couple of 5-gal. jerry cans of water, and off we went. Yeah, I know about all that slack in the couplings--we both very quickly learned to listen for the sound of the couplings banging coming towards us, that it was time to sit down NOW or at least grab a hold of something secure. We had the lowest priority of any train on the network, or so it seemed; it took us 2 1/2 days to get across Texas, and we spent a lo of time sitting on sidings. A few times we stopped close enough to a convenience store that we were able to get sodas and such, use a real restroom, dump our trash, etc., all the time keeping an ear out for the train starting to move. One time we just barely made it; the train was already moving at a brisk walking pace by the time we jumped back on board. (No one from the train crew ever had any contact with us the entire time.) Growing up, I'd always wondered what it might be like to ride in the caboose . . . Back in the day, I imagine it was much different than what it was for us on that trip.

It was a sad day when trains no longer had a caboose at the end. That was a piece of my childhood gone. I have seen a caboose here and there, in a museum type setting, but I really miss those cute things.

Will definitely make a trip to the museum in the near future, having ridden in an antique steam engine train in Grapevine, TX, with a still working turntable for the engine in Ft. Worth, all over the US on shaky Amtrak, Canada, and smooth bullet trains in Europe. Love trains. Very nice video.

Don't forget about marker lights and their relation to when a string of cars was officially a train. Also the function of the rear end crew to provide flag protection for the rear of the train when stopped.

These videos are what the world needs for a quick smile right now, thank you.

I love Cabooses. Especially the ones at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum.

I thought it was very cool that you mentioned Fort Frances in this video because it's quite a small town in Northern Ontario. I know of it because I was a junior ranger at the Lake of the Woods provincial park back in 1978. I had to stay in Fort Frances before moving on the the park, so thanks for bringing back that fond memory. Oh and great video by the way.

My Grandpa had two short fingers from early 1900s trainman coupling in North Dakota. My Brakeman Dad had to get tetanus shot in early 1950s in suburban Chicago after stepping on a nail up top. And I got to cross the USA by train, coast to coast during the golden years of US train travel. Thanks for the video, and thanks for keeping the museum up and running.

Love those old Soo Line steel cabooses! We have one here in Winona MN still on duty in it's original colors (I'll beit a little graffitied up) as a crew platform.

In the 1960s I was a brakeman on the Northern Pacific, Rocky Mountain Division, out of Missoula, Montana. I miss the caboose. Commenters who point out the functions of the crew in the caboose are correct -- checking for hot boxes on your own and passing trains, looking for loose loads, handling switches and train movements at sidings (even if you're just going "in the hole" on a siding for a passing train, and in the worst case carrying signal flares back up the line if there's trouble on the track.

One of the duties of the crew in the caboose was to use their noses. Each bearing on each axle had a stink bomb that would go off if its bearing was overheating and likely to fail. The crew in the caboose were supposed to smell it as they reached that point and radio the engineer about the problem. In the late 1970s at CN Rail, I remember seeing a memo with the update that the stink bomb scent had been changed from “rotten eggs” to “wild cherry”, which was good for a chuckle. The old plain bearings on the cars’ axles were eventually replaced with the far more reliable roller bearings, which took away one of the caboose crews’ jobs. Another job was to monitor the brake pipe pressure, which indicated the status of the air brakes, all the way to the back of the train. The new “end of train units” were monitors that mounted on the last coupler and transmitted the brake pipe pressure to the engineer by radio, which eliminated the last caboose crew job.

First time viewing. I have been reading the other comments. It doesn't look right without the caboose on a train. Since there removal train accidents are even worse! What about the train crew no kitchen, no bathrooms, food (?) As for a scale modeler & collector of this fine relic i still run them at the end of my trains. Today's end of train marker lights would cost me too much & to install on 1 model or several ? I only have 1 so far. Meanwhile my 3 favorites cabooses are the red wooden SOO LINE, my all time favorite is the white red version, 3rd is The M.O.W. inspired yellow caboose. Nice & inviting narration & tour enjoyed watching. 👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cabooses? Cabeese? Cabi? I was lucky enough to have grown up as a railfan in the last years of their use so got to enjoy seeing many of them.

I would go nuts in this museum. Definitely on my bucket list!

Cabooses were awesome trains had them back when I was a kid

Another great video. My kudos to all who made this video. Thank you very much. Be safe and healthy please.

Awesome video... Sometimes I just love running a whole train with nothing but cabooses... G scale...

Used to be a wood Frisco caboose on the lot of a bulk oil station near my house. It had been overlaid steel plates at some point. When the man who owned the oil station sold his facility to a corporate conglomerate about 15 years ago, the new company immediately tor it down not caring the historical significance of how old it was. It was sad to see.

I have seen them Roanoke VA. on short trains. Thanks for showing us the ones you have at the museum. Keep on moving.

In the 19th century it was quite common for passengers to ride in the caboose of a freight train. The passenger tariffs existed until the 1950's or 1960's. You could buy a ticket to ride in the caboose. It was at that time an artifact of the 19th century. David P Morgan wrote of it. When railroad management realized that the tariffs still existed they were quick to file for their discontinuance.

Good afternoon to all from SE Louisiana 17 Jan 22.

Remember as a child growing up in the UK, seeing a train of guard's vans going over a railway bridge. I think since the advent of "fitted" goods trains (ie having proper brakes) you'll only see them on heritage lines now.

Maybe they should bring the caboose back . With the train robberies of late (Los Angeles train cars getting broken into) , they could use them to put a few armed guards on the trains so when the train does stop, security is already on site. The caboose would become the mobile security office.

My great grandfather was a break man out of Cowan Tn he worked for the L&N railroad back in the Day He was born in Nashville Tn December 1907 he died in September 1978 when I was two years old I was two in May 1978 he died that September

I can remember as a kid in the early sixties that I saw Soo line cabooses the old one like the red one in Marquette Michigan I always wanted one

I’ve always loved cabooses. I would love to have one as a small house. Bay window ones are cool, but I’ve always loved the doghouse ones

I've really been enjoying these videos! It's been a great way to spend the quarantine! Thankfully, my state is beginning to ease the "Stay at Home" orders, so hopefully, I'll get out to go railfanning soon!

Cabooses were so cute. A symbol of old US Railways, like Wig-Wag in level crossings

I had a gramma that lived in Bingen WA. on the Columbia River. We called her choo-choo gramma. On the Washington side of the river all the cabooses were green. On the Oregon side they were yellow.

Loved this

Montana rail link still has a few we use.

there is a historical rr company in indiania that has 7 cabooses and they have a train ride that involves all of them.

A very nice and informative video. Though I have a deep passion for trains, I have yet to visit your wonderful museum, as I live a couple of states east of Minnesota. Nevertheless, I greatly appreciate what you and the museum do, and have plans to run freight trains with cabooses on my model railroad.

Great video 📸😊

I drive past a beat up old caboose in Seattle frequently. I didn't understand why it was there, its location changes from time to time so it appeared to be in use. I eventually I found out it is a "push platform". A locomotive is not allowed to push a long line of cars without a conductor at the front for emergency braking etc. Ya live and learn.

There's still a Burlington Northern caboose that runs on the Morris subdivision on the BNSF railway, although it has seen better days

their job is very similar to our Brake vans over here in the UK, especially before the days of the continuous brake (There were still some unfitted goods trains over here until the late 1980s! The vast majority of the ones over here were only 4 wheelers, although there were some 6 and 8 wheel rigid framed examples, the only bogie ones being the southern railway "Queen Mary" brake vans. Interesting the similarity in the slang too, ours were sometimes known as "Dog Boxes"

This is really cool

My dad worked as a Fireman on a train, his job was to shovel coal. Dad was in the military, later he was appointed as fire control. When he was informed by the commander of his added duty's dad informed the commander I was the fireman on a train, commander said close enough.

It was very sad to see them go. The railroads should have kept them.just like hard to find rare diesels,it is hard to find cabooses like the m-5 that was on the scl railroad and other lines.

Yeah pretty much grew up surrounded by the Soo,CNW EJ&E and Milwaukee with the CNW being the hometown road in the Chicago burbs. Glad to see one of the Soo extended vision hacks got saved as not counting the stray way freight on the CNW those were last you could count on seeing on a road freight on the Soo's former Milwaukee Road lines consistently at least until 88 or 89, something to do with a Wisconsin or Iowa law requiring them or something to do with TOFC flats having to be on rear end if picked up on the road ( something about their derailing if put on the head end)and it was easier to have the crew on the back end on those trains. Obviously they were able to correct or resolve the issues requiring them to still have a caboose and now even the way freights around here figured they used 2 engines anyway so dropped the waycar on the way freight and just house the overflow crew in the trailing unit.

I'm sure you know, have heard, that on the CB&Q that caboose's were known as Way Cars. Why? The conductor carried the 'way bills', or also known as the bills of loading, with him. After hiring out in engine service it wasn't long till you were corrected in the proper Q nomenclature.

I worked for the Soo Line and the Milwaukee Road before the Soo bought us

When the train left the station It had two lights on behind Yeah, when the train left the station It had two lights on behind Whoa, the blue light was my baby And the red light was my mind - The Rolling Stones, *"Love In Vain"*

My brakeman friend used to call the caboose the VAN

I've been retired for 10 years and had 43 years as a locomotive engineer with the UPRR and in all my time I never have seen or heard a railroader look & talk like you.. What cause the sell out of the rear end crews was the internet and when they allow that damn key board in the head end that was it and just like the new bearing wheels got rid of all the old oilers..

The story of phasing out your cabooses is very similar to what happened in the UK. At the end may guards rode I the back cab of the loco because it was more comfortable than the brake van

This is the depot in Duluth right? I’ve been there many times so I’m pretty sure it is

Can you talk about whistles in one of your future episodes

Dude you got this down

Let's be honest, the only thing that changed when the RRs got rid of the caboose was the crew had to all get hammered on the headend. The good old days of the Conductor making $100k to pass out drunk on the rear of the train were nice though.

they should have old Timken roller bearings

"I got your caboose right here....."

Good train handling could eliminate most of the slack action at the caboose. Although when the train was placed in emergency, rather intentionally or unintentionally, by a broken air hose, faulty control valve etc, etc, there was very little the engineer could do to control the slack. That is when we would announce on the radio to, “Watch the slack.”

Whistle seems like a fun video and so does fuel.

If when announcing that something will finish in May. Plus the fact the video could be up would it be worth mentioning May plus the year ?

You really need a 4 wheel caboose!

Can some one tell me what a Caboose like the SOO would weigh with out its trucks ?

What a strange word : we call them brake vans or guards vans .

DOD has plenty of em, check out vwxx-800 if you wanna see a caboose.

You should restore the BN livery of the BN caboose.

I love cabooses. Or is is caboosi? I think of them as the Trainebago.

To bad no caboose on end of train

DMIR 193

But what about watching for "Hot Boxes" You sure missed out on that.

What's with the transit hat? DST

Love the early covid warning at the end.. .🙃

In 1982 I was in Germany

Real reason they eliminated the caboose was they did not want to maintain them and they could eliminate another crew member on a train. I have worked as an engineer with as many as three brakemen a fireman and a worthless conductor. I say worthless because he would stay up at the depot drinking with the operator while we did all the work. He managed to get the third brakeman cut off the local.

Never known that the word caboose came from kombuis...

Cabooses were not always red Penn Central had light green Conrail had blue C&0 had yellow and dark blue Grand Trunk and Norfork and Western had red

Good show until the last minute and politicizing the end with social distance and bullcrap.

My railroad still uses cabooses, I am no fan of FRED.

Technology blah, bring back the caboose.

I don't know why Red puts up with it. The railroads work him to death and they don't pay him anything!

Social distancing???? REALLY????

I believe the correct term is "cabeese"

What happened to the cabooses? The railroads scrapped them, because they cost money. They cost to build or buy and maintain, they took a little tractive effort from the train so they cost some of the payload. By the 1970s they were pointless, as crews had shrunk to two, so there was no one left to ride in 'em. I believe in India some freight trains still have cabooses, if one wants to see a caboose in action.

So your not going to show us the detail inside the caboose.......... EVERYBODY knows what they look like on the outside. SHOW US THE INSIDE MR. COMIDIAN

In a way, it's a good thing we no longer have the caboose, or it would be covered in that disgusting gansta graffiti like the rest of the train. I cannot understand why the railroad puts up with those graffiti people. If I ran a railroad, I would get legal permission to shoot them on sight. I don't understand either, why those graffit1 people waste hundreds of dollars on spray paint, or spend countless hours, standing outdoors in the heat or cold, creating those huge murals. I would think they'd get tired of it.

F.R.E.D. happened. Another way to lighten a train crew. Apologies, but this act made no sense at all. Add remote control box and you can get rid of the Conductor as well.

What happened to all the cabooses? All the female pop stars got them

Boring