RE: trains--is it true that the headlight is called "Mary" and the red light on the back is called "Fred"?

Question

Who came up with these names? Also, why was the caboose removed from service, and the "Fred" light put on in it's place? Thank you ahead of time for the answers!

Answer 1

Fred is an acronym and Mary appears to be the other end maybe some RR mating ritual?  See source:

FRED

Flashing Rear End Device.  This is the unit that is used instead of a caboose on modern trains. It monitors air pressure in the brake line and radios it forward to the crew in the front end. If the train has two FREDs, one at each end of the train, the other one is referred to as Mary. So if the witness talks about checking with Fred and Mary, that’s what he’s referring to. (Mary is not an acronym, as far as I’ve been able to determine, and Fred is often not all in caps in RR records.)   End of train telemetry device

Answer 2

so then what r the blinkers called?

Answer 3

"FRED" -- I've heard it said the "F" actually stands for something else, but I can't say coz this is Yahoo! Answers.

"Mary" is AKA Wilma. FRED and Wilma, get it? :)

http://www.vnerr.com/news/slang.htm

Now, many locomotives (fewer now) had a gadget called a "Mars Light", that's S not Y.  That was not the headlight, but a second headlight which moved in a circular or figure-8 pattern.  If you saw a train coming, the light would appear to pulsate.   The engineer could also stop the light at any point in its cycle if he wanted to aim it at something.

Answer 4

Don't know about the lights, but cabooses were removed from service because of the associated cost of upkeep/manning.