This past Friday I believe it was, I was heading home from work on the Northeast Corridor between New Brunswick NJ and Princeton when I saw a short train moving down track 3 I believe on a 4track main line. It was a blue ex-Conrail caboose being pulled by NS or CSX, I can't remember, who controlls the line there? Anyhow first off, I almost never see freight on the NE corridor during the day but this freight train had a Caboose on it! I was wondering what they still use cabooses for in this day and age, and what made this train special. I mean this wasn't piddly shortline railroading, this was a train on one of the most heavily trafficked tracks in the country!

Does anyone have any insight?

Adam

Most Union contracts require a caboose on local freights and yard jobs that have to making shoving movements over a mile. Individual crews have been known to waive this requirement when they can get their work done quicker without the caboose.

Railroads often dub these "switching platforms" to be used on trains that have a lot of back up movements. Not calling them a caboose, from what I've been told, keeps them from having to maintain and stock these as cabooses. One railroad, from what I heard, even welds the doors shut, so you can only use the end platform.