Railroadforums.com is a free online Railroad Discussion Forum and Railroad Photo Gallery for railroaders, railfans, model railroaders and anyone else who is interested in railroads. We cover a wide variety of topics, including freight trains, passenger and commuter railroads, rail news and information, tourist railroads, railway museums and railroad history.
It's great that we an still photograph SD40-2 Locomotives (or SD40N now)and Cabooses in 2016! The SD40-2s are sharp looking too, nice paint and not tagged!
I got tired of the hordes of look-alike SD40-2's that made up the rail scene of the 70's and 80's. Fast forward 30-40 years: I am now getting tired of the hordes of look-alike GE units. You can say things are even worse now with further diesel standardization and the disappearance of many Class I railroads through mergers and other acquisitions. I look forward to seeing older units like the Geeps on locals that pass through my town and the SD40-2's that you photographed in Omaha.
Back in the 70's and 80's, US railroads worked to eliminate cabooses. Nebraska was one of the last states to require cabooses on road freights. After UP acquired the MP, it dumped its iconic yellow cupola cabooses and used those MP transfer cabooses for minimal compliance with the Nebraska law. I believe they were attached to trains in Cheyenne and removed in Omaha or Council Bluffs. I recall seeing the MP transfer cabooses on UP trains in Nebraska back then as I was cruising I-80 between the Midwest and the West Coast.
The BNSF uses a few old cupola cabooses in the Puget Sound region as switching platforms on locals and MoW extras. They cannot be much fun to ride in as all the windows are boarded up.
The BNSF uses a few old cupola cabooses in the Puget Sound region as switching platforms on locals and MoW extras. They cannot be much fun to ride in as all the windows are boarded up.
They still use them here too, in fact they just put one on its side not too long ago. Around here the lower windows are boarded up, but the cupola is still open.
If you notice, the doors are welded shut. These are purely shoving platforms for the trainmen to stand and have a place to control the air (i.e. dump the air in case of an emergency).
If you notice, the doors are welded shut. These are purely shoving platforms for the trainmen to stand and have a place to control the air (i.e. dump the air in case of an emergency).
Back in the 70's and 80's, US railroads worked to eliminate cabooses. Nebraska was one of the last states to require cabooses on road freights. After UP acquired the MP, it dumped its iconic yellow cupola cabooses and used those MP transfer cabooses for minimal compliance with the Nebraska law. I believe they were attached to trains in Cheyenne and removed in Omaha or Council Bluffs. I recall seeing the MP transfer cabooses on UP trains in Nebraska back then as I was cruising I-80 between the Midwest and the West Coast.
Although they look like transfer cabooses, they were built for road service. They were equipped just like any other caboose, except I don't think they had bunks. Although I once saw a original UP cupola caboose about 1983/84 on a train, it makes sense that some of those Mop cabooses may have been used in Nebraska. They would've been some of the newest cabooses on the expanded UP roster.
UP's last new cabooses were built similar to the MP type. I believe the first of that last UP class caboose might still be in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. At least it was in the last year or so. I've seen it on an outlying local around Seymour or Woody. It's doors weren't welded shut, the crew could still access the interior.
Some of UP's cabooses have been outfitted with extra seats and used to haul crews between terminals when roads are bad and the vans aren't available. They are called, "blizzard buses." Others, especially a lot of the MP's "transfer" style cabooses have been outfitted for use by maintenance gang trains. They also have extra seats and desk and storage space to make them rolling offices. (Many have also been "personalized" by the gangs they are assigned to. Meaning someone has placed a propane grill on the "porch" so they can have fresh, hot food for lunch.)
Jeff
PS. On that early 1980s visit to Fremont, not only did I see the caboose but also the last of UP's yellow stock cars. They were on just about every storage track there.
I saw a few of those new UP cabooses pass through Sacramento in the early 80's after the UP-WP merger. I thought they were larger than the MP cabooses, which in my mind made them look more like road cabooses. The small size of the MP cabooses immediately brought "transfer caboose" to mind.
I remember those Mo=Pac cabooses well. We used to jump on them at 60th and Center and ride them all the way down to 72nd & Q street in Omaha, then walk over to the super slide! Back then the crews were pretty cool about it and didn't really care. I remember one time we were trying to hop on and we could not catch up. The brakeman slide the window open and yelled at us that we had to run faster today, it's the engineer's birthday and he wants to get home!
Growing up in the 60th & L street part of Omaha was a pretty damn good location for a young railfan back in the 70's.
I remember those Mo=Pac cabooses well. We used to jump on them at 60th and Center and ride them all the way down to 72nd & Q street in Omaha, then walk over to the super slide! Back then the crews were pretty cool about it and didn't really care. I remember one time we were trying to hop on and we could not catch up. The brakeman slide the window open and yelled at us that we had to run faster today, it's the engineer's birthday and he wants to get home!
Growing up in the 60th & L street part of Omaha was a pretty damn good location for a young railfan back in the 70's.
Great Story! That would have been nice. CNW and UP to your north, Missouri Pacific to you west, and the CB&Q to the south. The Rock Island wasn't too far either.
RailroadForums.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com
RailroadBookstore.com - An online railroad bookstore featuring a curated selection of new and used railroad books. Railroad pictorials, railroad history, steam locomotives, passenger trains, modern railroading. Hundreds of titles available, most at discount prices! We also have a video and children's book section.
ModelRailroadBookstore.com - An online model railroad bookstore featuring a curated selection of new and used books. Layout design, track plans, scenery and structure building, wiring, DCC, Tinplate, Toy Trains, Price Guides and more.
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a commision from some of the links and ads shown on this website (Learn More Here)