Why don't freight trains have cabooses anymore???

Question

Why don't freight trains have cabooses anymore???

Answer 1

Cabooses were done away with as a labour saving move.  Train crews, decades ago, used to have a full five members - three in the locomotive, two in the caboose.  As the crews were pared down (modern ones have two or three, depending on the assignment), a second place wasn't needed, and now everyone rides in the locomotive.

Technology also helped rid the railway of the caboose.  Tail-end devices mounted on the last car monitor brake pipe air pressure, can deploy the emergency brakes from a toggle on the engineer's control stand, and are equipped with motion detectors.  The engineer's control stand also usually has a DMD (distance measuring device), kind of like an odometer in footage, which allows them to measure distances along the way.

Wayside inspection systems have also replaced the visual inspections previously offered by crew members in the caboose.  Every so often on a main line, these systems will scan the train for defects, such as hot wheels, overheated bearings, shifted loads, and dragging equipment.  They broadcast their results over the main line radio channel.

Cabooses can still be seen on short lines, yard assignments, and some road switchers.  However, many Class 1 (large) railways only use them as "rider cars", meaning the doors are usually boarded or welded shut, and it's nothing more than a fancy platform for crew members to ride on in the event the train needs to back up for an extended length.

Answer 2

Budgie was right on, and let's also remember that riding in a caboose can get you hurt.  On a passenger train, when the train starts up or stops, you feel a little bump as the train cars stretch away from the engine or bunch towards it.  This also happens when the train goes up and down hills.  On a long freight train, this bumping can get pretty violent at times, so guys on cabooses could get hurt by either falling around or whiplash injuries.

Answer 3

Because the railroads are always looking for ways to eliminate jobs to increase their record breaking profits.  There did used to be 5 men on a crew, and through employer and 'pre 85' employee greed, these jobs were purchased from the employees.  So, now you have a telemetry marker on the rear of a train.  The marker can apply the brakes from the rear in an emergency situation.  It also allows the engineer on the head end to know that his rear car is moving, and has passed a given point.  It does what the caboose did, just without people.

Here's a tidbit of information for you, the ever increasing greed of railroads has prompted them to want to further reduce crew size from 2 to 1.  Watch out if this happens.  Imagine a train, moving at 70 mph, and the 1 person on the engine has a heart attack.

Even scarier, they also want remote control engines, with no human on the train at all.

Answer 4

there use to be a time on the railroads when there were five people to a crew --- the conductor, engineer, brakeman, flagman, and the fireman -- a caboose was like a home away from home back then, besides you need the extra room a caboose provided -- the only person upfront with the egineer usually was the fireman, he was like an assistant engineer, and everyone else was in the caboose ---- well the railroads got cheap and eliminated two and in most cases three of the the jobs -- most jobs only have the engineer and conductor on them now and in some cases the brakeman/switchman -- this eliminated the need for the caboose as a people holder -- the reason why you'll see a few now and again is b/c they are used to shove (backup) trains a long distance, so you have a set of eyes watching where you are going and making sure people dont get hurt un-necessarily --- truth is they could still use them but b/c of low or no maintenance, most cabooses are too delapadated to do anything but sit and rust away or be sold to some enthusiast who has the money to restore it and let it sit in their yard -- cost cutting by the rr's - first the men, then the equipment -- believe it or not, the railroads want to make it so only one person is on the train-- if this happens -- civilians will need to start taking alot more pre-cautions

Answer 5

we have 2 switcher engines that ride with 19 hoppers and at the end is a old chessie system caboose tho its rusty its still cool to see and you can see someone ride in the back sometimes

as for the no caboose its cause every thing in a train has gone electronic but if they need someone in the back im sure they would hook up a loco in the back to help with the power and if needed man it with someone to do the job as a brakeman or something like that

Answer 6

They don't have cabooses or break-vans because due to American law are fitted with air breaks the caboose did two things provided housing for the crew and assisted in breaking operations. With diesels crews became smaller and with fitted breaks they were no longer needed

Answer 7

In the Uk, the trains have brakes which are controlled by the locomotive, and the trains are just not long enough to warrant a caboose (or brake vans as they're known here), however, some trains do still have brake vans, but it is a sight no-longer with us frequently.

Answer 8

don't need them... the rear brakeman used to ride there but trains now brake by electric. i still see one now and then on a freight train.

Answer 9

Because they are replaced by a device called the Telemetry box which scans the track and the train for problems and warns trains behind that there is another one ahead of it.

Answer 10

Oh they have them. The ones that you see without them are in the process of dropping or adding cars to the string. The real long ones use locomotives at both ends as a brake car just won't do the job.