What is the purpose of a caboose on a train?

Question

What is the purpose of a caboose on a train?

Answer 1

Taking nap breaks & making coffee & meals.

Answer 2

security, track switching, looking ahead and behind for problems, etc.............

Answer 3

It's primary function was as a mobile office for the conductor, since at that time the "waybills" were shipped right along with the cars in the train.

But, it was also monitored the air pressure at the rear of the train, carried the rear brakeman or flagman, it carried maintenance of way people since it was outfitted with several seats, during work train or snow service, it provided a means to put the train into emergency braking from the rear end and it was the only promise of a hot meal while en route, since it was equipped with either a coal or oil burning stove.

Also, with occupied equipment at the rear of the train, it was a chance for the rear end crew members to keep an eye on their train, as well as making rolling inspections from the rear platform when meeting or passing other trains, or receiving a "highball" from someone on the ground inspect their train as it passed.

It was also a dangerous place to be.  Anything that derailed was going to do so in front of you.  In addition, the caboose got knocked around quite a bit from "slack action," and when excessive, serious injuries and fatalities were often a result.

Answer 4

storage and crew corters

Answer 5

Many of these answers are correct.  Cabooses were required by law for all frieght trains until the 1980's.  One other thing to mention is that there are two style of cabooses.  Bay window cabooses replaced the older cupola models due to newer box cars being higher than the cupola windows.  Eventually these cars became too expensive to maintain and service once technology advanced to the point where all of its functions could be gauged from the locomotive.  The extended vision caboose became popular after World War II and combined the bay window and the cupola parts so that the cupola was now extended past the sides of the body of the car.  Drover's cabooses were used for places for livestock's handlers would ride between the ranch and processing plant on longer cattle trains in the American Southwest.  Transfer caboose look like a flat car with a shed bolted in the middle.  These lacked bathroom, cooking, and sleeping quarters and were used in service between rail yards or short switching runs.

Answer 6

The caboose provided a place for crewmen to watch the train while in motion, coordinate braking, switching, provided a living quarters (like a sleeper on a tractor trailer).  I also agree that it was an extremely dangerous place to work because of the jostling and jerking from the sheer distance to the front of the train.

Answer 7

They haven't used cabooses for years now. But they were part of the safety gear on the train, giving watchmen a station so they could help the engineers with braking, switching and generally keeping an eye on track conditions - and hopefully not trains overtaking them!

Answer 8

You will see very few of them these days.  At one time it was for an employee to watch the train for problems.