The return of the caboose?

DAYTON – A caboose on an active railroad track is not something most of us have seen in a very long time. Likely, most people under forty have never seen one. Few people have probably seen a caboose emblazoned with large block letters, "WARNING! REMOTE CONTROL."

At Dayton's Caboose Park, visitors can see a yellow Union Pacific caboose up close. With its distinctive cupola, it is a great example of the cars once widely used. From the 1830s, cabooses were used to provide shelter for the crews of freight trains. From their position at the rear of the train, the crew kept an eye out for shifting loads, broken equipment. or fire from overheated axles. Technology replaced the need for crews on freight trains and eventually the caboose cars disappeared from the rail.

That is why one such caboose resting on the track along Highway 12 near Dumas Station Winery a few weeks ago must have surprised and piqued the curiosity of drivers as they passed by.

If you were one of those drivers, this is what you saw. A caboose that can control any locomotive attached to a train electronically and pneumatically. The operator or engineer controls one or more locomotives using a chest-mounted radio control box. The operator can be on the caboose, elsewhere on the train, or standing on the ground near the tracks. The locomotives need no remote-control hardware other than typical control systems installed at the factory.

Trains often have multiple locomotives with only the lead locomotive manned. The remote-control cabooses use the same speed and direction control systems that the lead locomotive would use. The caboose contains all the remote-control hardware to control any attached locomotives in a train, and the operator uses a wireless control box to communicate with the caboose.

The radio controlled cabooses make it easier to move cars around in switchyards, and can allow trains with a locomotive at the tail end of the train to navigate across road crossings safely.

Cabooses were required on trains until the 1980's when the federal government relaxed the rules due to advances in automation. Originally crewed by an engineer and a brakeman, the caboose also served as a crew rest area, containing a crew sleeping and cooking area for use on long routes. The conductor often watched the train from the cupola on top of the car, watching for load shifting, damage to equipment and cargo, and overheating axles. The brakeman could climb on top of the railroad cars and manually set brakes in an emergency. The crew was usually willing to return the waves of children in automobiles driving near the tracks.

Stepping inside the caboose, it appears much as it must have seventy years ago. The odor of kerosene, which probably dripped from the old stove onto the wood floor below, still perfumes the air, a familiar sensory experience to visiting an old steamship. Years ago, this smell must have been masked by the welcoming aroma of an always-on coffee peculator and the sweet smell of pipe tobacco. One of the few changes evident inside is an air tank, a part of the control system. Outside, the top of the caboose has yellow flashing lights and an antenna; otherwise, the caboose remains frozen in time. A raised chair remains, which would have been where an engineer sat to observe the train ahead.

This caboose visited Dumas Station apparently to be evaluated for use as a wine tasting room. I imagine the strange odors from the past alone would have been a barrier to converting it for this use.