Norfolk Southern and some other railroads use cabooses or riding platforms to protect shove moves.
NS
Q I know Class I railroads haven’t used cabooses for some years. On a Roanoke, Va., webcam, though, I have seen Norfolk Southern use a caboose on many occasions. The trains do not look like work trains, but rather manifest trains. Why they are using cabooses?
— Timothy Barrington, Aberdeen, Wash.
— Timothy Barrington, Aberdeen, Wash.
A According to Norfolk Southern officials, operating personnel generally use a caboose or riding platform (pictured above) in switching moves in yards if it involves the locomotive(s) shoving a cut of cars for a mile or more. It greatly improves safety and visibility for the crewmembers riding at the front of the shoving move, as they do not have to hang onto the ladder of a freight car for an extended period of time. Assuming the TRAINS reader is watching a webcam at or very near the Shaffer’s Crossing yard in Roanoke, that would explain the frequent sighting of cabooses.
— Eric Powell
