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CA-11 Cabooses UP By George Cockle Soft Cover Union Pacific Soft Cover
CA-11 Cabooses UP By George Cockle
Soft Cover
Copyright 1979 Some pages are loose about 3/4 of the way down
40 Pages
Contents
UNION PACIFIC CABOOSES 4-11
CA-11 and CA-12 DEVELOPMENT 12-15
CA-11 DETAILS THE SIDES 16-17
INTERIOR ARRANGEMENTS (AR-BR) 18-19
INTERIOR ARRANGEMENTS (BL-AL) 20-21
"A" END "B" END 22-23
THE COUPLERS THE TRUCKS 24-25
UNDERFRAME AND BRAKE RIGGING 26-27
ROOF ARRANGEMENT 28-29
CABOOSE SLOGANS 1979 30-33
MAINLINE ACTION 34-37
HO-SCALED MODEL 38-39
Union Pacific
Cabooses are a lot more colorful and comfortable than they once were, but there is still an element of romance about them. As to their beginnings, only speculation at various attempts to provide conductors with office space and store the necessary flags, lanterns and tools, gives us any clues. Box cars, modified for crew comfort, were in operation in the 1840-50's, as were flatcars on which cabins were built.
The caboose has come a long way since then. It has become a rolling field office with many crew comforts a modern command car.
The Union Pacific standardized their caboose designs in the mid-1890's which have been generally followed for almost a century! Wood has given away to steel, the "K" air brake system replaced by the modern ABD system, and riveted pedestal trucks have been upgraded to specially designed caboose trucks . . . but the high cupola design remained.
In fact, Union Pacific progressed through 10 different series of cupola cabooses since the mid-1890's . . . which are surveyed on the following pages. But, as the average life of a caboose is about 40 years, consideration has been given to replacing the older cars with a new design meeting current day requirements.
Trains operate so fast these days that life in the caboose has changed. It's no longer a home away from home, with fancy meals and personal effects. They are efficiently designed to provide rear end control of trains a mile-long travelling up to 90 miles an hour.
As freight cars grow taller, the vision from the cupola-styled caboose becomes more restricted. Many railroads are switching to side-window or bay-window cabooses which allows the rear end crew to keep their heads inside the car yet get a panoramic picture-window view of the train.
In 1977 the Union Pacific borrowed a Missouri Pacific bay-window caboose and evaluated its capabilities over their cupola-styled caboose. The results led to placing an order with International Car Company of Kenton, OH for 100 bay-window cabooses. The better view ahead, improved crew safety and comfort, and basic car costs were the primary considerations.
Although about the same size as the rest of the fleet, the crew compartment is much shorter. The caboose seems roomier because of the elimination of the cupola and its associated ladders and narrow walkway at the center of the car . . . hence the label of "compact-body.'
To construct a cupola caboose in 1980 would cost about $75,000 while the current CA-11 bay window cabooses cost just over $63,000. For 100 cabooses, that represents more than $1.2 million saved . . . without sacrificing operational performance.
Continued research and development of the CA-11 bay-window caboose by the Union Pacific has led to a number of recommended changes to the basic design. A ''Modified CA-11" and "Prototype CA-12" have been built, incorporating improved design features which address ride characteristics, noise abatement and crew comfort and safety. As these modifications are proved, and additional ones considered . . . the results will be incorporated in the design specifications of
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