Question About Cabooses.

[nkalanaga]

On the NP at least the cabooses did have A and B ends.  The piston on the brake cylinder pointed towards the B end.  It didn't matter to the trainmen, but the shop crews needed to know which end to work on!

[eja]

Oh it matters ...

I have, somewhere, a PRR T&HS article about Long Island cabs ....  very interesting saying, among other things, that they were never turned, except by mistake.   In winter, the crew wanted that heater and whatever insulation they had stuffed into it on the windward side. 

In the days when a caboose was almost personal property of a senior crew member, I wouldn't be surprised if the same was not true on many other roads.

[jmlaboda - RIP]

"We'd send them over to flight ops to get a bucket of prop wash and 500 feet of flight line."

And we up top would have to get them off of the flight deck before they got themselves killed.  One almost did... and it wasn't a laughing matter to us.  But then again, we were always trying to find a pad-eye puller down in the bowels of the ship... very illusive that one...

[Dave V]

"We'd send them over to flight ops to get a bucket of prop wash and 500 feet of flight line."

And we up top would have to get them off of the flight deck before they got themselves killed.  One almost did... and it wasn't a laughing matter to us.  But then again, we were always trying to find a pad-eye puller down in the bowels of the ship... very illusive that one...

Little less action at Polk Army Airfield on the night shift than for you guys on a carrier!  When the pranks started to interfere with ops, we O's had to put the smack down.  Happened a few times my first tour.  Thankfully our flight commander had a pretty high tolerance for shenanigans...

[rogergperkins]

  I assume that the stove is burning coal in the ones on my layout and thus position them with the smoke stack behind the cupola.  Sometimes I run with one immediately behind the engine and another at the end of the train.  I remember B&O doing that on the Beardstown to Shawneetown, IL branch.
Suspect it was because LCL boxcar(s) were at the front of the train and thus second caboose is more convenient for a crew to unload freight than being at the end of the train.

[Brakie]

Suspect it was because LCL boxcar(s) were at the front of the train and thus second caboose is more convenient for a crew to unload freight than being at the end of the train.
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I don't think company and union work rules would allow a train crew to unload a boxcar since its not express freight in the combine of a mixed freight.

You have the operation unions(BRT,BRC and  BLFE) doing the work of a trade union.

[Bremner]

No..It doesn't matter which way the caboose faces.

BTW..

A fun fact.

Unlike other freight cars there is no B end since both ends has a brake wheel..

We would tell a student brakeman to set the handbrake on the A end of the caboose..

With a puzzled look he would asked which end was the A end..

The conductor would roll his eyes and ask you don't know? What are they hiring for brakeman these days? I never heard or seen the likes in my X many years on this man's railroad!

Then with a stern look he would say you choose the end you want to be the A end since a caboose doesn't have one.

And yes,that trick was pulled on me when I was a student brakeman.

not true for all roads! I took a good, close look at an unrestored (but heavily molested) Southern Pacific C-50-9 today (the Athearn bay window)

[Ian MacMillan]

LOL, reminds me of tricks we'd play on new Airmen.

We'd send them over to flight ops to get a bucket of prop wash and 500 feet of flight line.

Ah the messing around with FNG's. Our new recruits get the usual "Go find out who the Lt. Governor is, and dont return until you do".  Then there is the always comical turning upside down of name tags, collar brass, and citation bars.

[Bob Bufkin]

I think the classic I pulled on a new seaman apprentice was the day we were to pull into Singapore.  He came to my office and wanted to know what he needed to do to go on liberty.  I gave him a standard request chit and told him he had to get it approved to get his masterbating papers before going ashore.  He went all through the chain of command and everyone signed it off and callled me laughing their a$$ off until it got to the XO.  Called me to his office and read me the riot act and then started laughing himself and told me to get the hell out, all the while still laughing.