How was it done IRL? (Shortlines, USA, circa 1950)

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frogpipe

Yesterdayz Trainz Member
A train, with caboose, is tasked to back into a spur enroute, and pickup a box car. Would it back the caboose in and couple to the car (as seen in Emperor of the North) so that boxcar came last with the caboose just ahead of it? Or drop the caboose on the mainline, grab the boxcar, and then the caboose, maintaining the "proper" caboose last arrangement?

A train will go up the mainline, and back into several spurs to drop off a revenue car at each spur. How is the train assembled? Is the first drop off directly behind the locomotive, or immediately before the caboose?

TIA
 
It would be up to the conductor to make up the train and some times the locomotive can not go into the spur do to the track.
 
Well, the short answer is yes.
It depended on the railroads and their operating practices. For example, near me there was a Southern Pacific branch line that had a quarry near the end. The train would back in with the caboose, pick up the loaded cars, and run with them behind the caboose to the town at the end of the line a couple more miles down the track. There, the cars for that town would be dropped off, locomotive was turned, and now the caboose is on the rear of the train again without any special switching moves. For some other industries on the same branch, they would cut off some cars, leave them on the main, pick up what was needed, and reassemble the train again. Other times, They would run one way making all the set outs, and then run the other way making all the pick ups.
The easy way to go about it is remember the model railroad saying "Do what you want, there is a prototype for everything"
 
flyboy559 said:
Well, the short answer is yes.
It depended on the railroads and their operating practices. For example, near me there was a Southern Pacific branch line that had a quarry near the end. The train would back in with the caboose, pick up the loaded cars, and run with them behind the caboose to the town at the end of the line a couple more miles down the track. There, the cars for that town would be dropped off, locomotive was turned, and now the caboose is on the rear of the train again without any special switching moves. For some other industries on the same branch, they would cut off some cars, leave them on the main, pick up what was needed, and reassemble the train again. Other times, They would run one way making all the set outs, and then run the other way making all the pick ups.
The easy way to go about it is remember the model railroad saying "Do what you want, there is a prototype for everything"
Click to expand...

This is exactly how the old B&M used to handle the North Lawrence Canal Street branches and the old M&L up to Salem, NH. All this track is gone today, but boy was it fun to watch when it was active.
 
The only real restriction is to be aware of the caboose's construction. By 1950 probably most Class A roads' cabooses were steel-framed and could do that within limits. With an old wooden-framed crummy you wouldn't want to shift any heavy loads that way because you could pull the caboose apart.

:B~)
 
I always wonder about that when I see a photo of a long coal drag with a couple helpers pushing on the caboose. :)
 
IIRC, it was eventually realized that the caboose had to go *behind* the helpers, after a few accidents in which the helpers pushed a bit too hard, derailed the caboose, and killed some or all of the occupants.
 
64Warhorse said:
IIRC, it was eventually realized that the caboose had to go *behind* the helpers, after a few accidents in which the helpers pushed a bit too hard, derailed the caboose, and killed some or all of the occupants.
Click to expand...

Would not be surprised. Even steel cabeese are way lighter than a loaded hopper.

:B~)
 
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