Why don't trains have a Caboose anymore?

Question

I remember an old song, called, "The Little Red Caboose" and got to wondering, what ever happened to the Caboose on trains?

And, does anyone have the words to that song, "The Little Red Caboose" ?

Answer 1

There's no need for 5 man crews anymore... Cabooses went out in the 1970's, replaced with a FRED - Flashing Rear End Device, or to some employees, a F***ing Rear End Device -- because its heavy if you have to carry it from the locomotive to the rear car.

The caboose used to have 1-2 brakemen and a conductor -- the fireman and maybe another brakie up in the cab of the locomotive.

Now, the conductor rides in the cab with the engineer and does all the work of a brakeman -- coupling, un-coupling, brake hoses, etc..

Since the Westinghouse airbrake system in the late 1800's, the brakemen weren't really needed -- they didn't do any running board jogging since the 1800's, unlike the above poster indicated. The crew in the caboose kept an eye on the train in front of them to watch for hot-boxes (over-heated axle bearings) and other problems.

Now there are trackside hotbox and dragging equipment detectors (automatic), and trains use roller bearings as opposed to the old friction bearings. Also, the FRED will monitor brake line pressure and engage the emergency brake if a coupler fails.

Answer 2

another reason is that the fedral government passed a law in the 80's that there has to be so many cars between a locomotive and a caboose. Something like no more than 30 cars! Now your bigger railroads said screw this we want run a caboose any more and we can pull as many cars as we need. So the fed/gov steped back into the picture and passed another law that the RR has to run some kind of device marking the end of the train, and that's why they have "FRED" on the end of the cars now!

BA/KCS engineer

Answer 3

Looks like the good old days are gone. The Caboose went with it. Here are the lyrics.

Little red caboose, little red caboose
Little red caboose behind the train

Smoke stack on it's back
Comin' down the track
Little red caboose behind the train

Answer 4

Trains no longer have cabooses because in the 1980s they developed a device called EOT commonly known as End of Train device it monitors brake pressure and is monitored in the cab by the engineer in the event of an emergency the engineer throws a switch and applies the brakes on the train

Answer 5

With advances in automation Brakemen are no longer needed to physically run along the top of the train and set brakes on individual cars.The caboose was they're living quarters

Answer 6

The railroads now have an ETD on the back of the last car. it electronically monitors everything the crew in the caboos did. Also since they can run the train with fewer men and at a greater ease a second relief crew is no longer needed

Answer 7

because theres bloody bodies in the rest of the frieght trains.
and the caboose would just make a bad smell.

Answer 8

Because the railroads don't want to pay for the people who used to ride in them, ie, conductors, flagmen, tenders, etc. so now they just put a red lantern on the last car.

Answer 9

see below

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caboose