Existing comment:
End of the Line:
During its heyday, the caboose was essential to the efficient and safe running of freight trains. However, as trains became longer and technology more efficient, the caboose became obsolete. The air brakes had eliminated the need for brakemen, the radio had superseded the flagmen, and new labor laws meant that the crew didn't travel with a train for days on end. Safety of the caboose became a real concern as trains moved faster. Never the safest of railcars, the caboose could buck and sway, causing the content, which included its crew, to fall or get thrown.
In 1969, the first End-of-Train Device (ETD) was used on a train in Florida. Other railcars quickly adopted the device and, by the end of the 1980s, the caboose was history. Its replacement, the Flashing-Rear-End Device (FRED) , can detect changes in brake line pressure and accidental separation of train cars and allows the engineer to apply both the front and rear brakes. The FRED, combined with better signaling capabilities, radio, and now GPS, as well as the savings of having a smaller crew and not having to purchase and maintain additional railway cars, meant the caboose had become obsolete. |