goutal@dec-parrot.UUCP (05/05/86)
What in heck is a "transfer caboose"? I've been reading various rr magazines electronic and otherwise for two or three years now, have seen the term many times, but have been unable to puzzle out the meaning from context. Also, can someone explain how the function of a transfer caboose is related to the designs used for them? -- Kenn Goutal ...decvax!decwrl!rhea!parrot!goutal
cb@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Christopher Byrnes) (05/06/86)
The term "transfer caboose" comes from the specialized caboose which is usually placed at the end of a railroad's transfer run. A transfer run is usually a (possibly long) train used to move cars from one railroad to the interchange point of another railroad. A typical transfer run might go from a yard to the interchange point a few miles away. These runs are important because the sooner you get cars off your railroad and onto someone else's, the sooner you can stop paying per-diem car rental charges. Since these transfer runs are not going to be on the road that long, they don't need a full-featured caboose. Just a small place to sit down, hold a toilet, store equipment is needed. The small "shack" you see on top of a transfer caboose is probably cheaper than the larger carbody found on a regular caboose. Since a transfer run is probably more likely to spend time switching than actually running, the large end platforms are an aid to crewmembers who are constantly getting on and off. None of this means that some railroads have not used a regular caboose in transfer runs or transfer caboose in regular runs. With the growing use of end-of-train markers we may be seeing less and less of any kind of caboose in the future. Christopher Byrnes cb@Mitre-Bedford.ARPA ...!decvax!linus!mbunix!cb.UUCP