The sign, as you shall soon see, relates to the reader a relatively complete story of the caboose's railroad history and ultimate demise in Canada. For waymarkers, it could be said that its demise was a good thing, as it provides them/us with oodles of cool waymarks that otherwise might still be following trains around the country.
The museum, situated in Castlegar's old train station, is open all year.
The Caboose's Early Uses
Origins of the Caboose The caboose was developed in the mid 1800's to carry rear brakeman and conductors on freight trains. This home away from home provided sitting, cooking, eating and sleeping areas. The spartan surroundings were vastly different from the posh passenger coaches built in the late 1800s.
The Cupola
Uses for the Caboose
The caboose served several functions, one of which was as an office for the conductor. A printed "waybill" followed every freight car from its origin to destination. The caboose also carried a brakeman and a flagman. In the days before air brakes were used the engineer signaled the caboose with his whistle when he wanted to slow down or stop. The brakeman would then climb out and make his way forward, twisting the brake wheels atop the cars with a stout club. Another brakeman riding the engine would work his way toward the rear. Once the train was stopped, the flagman would descend from the caboose and walk back to a safe distance with lanterns, flags, and other warning devices to stop any approaching trains. Once underway, the trainmen would sit up in the cupola and watch for smoke from overheated wheel journals (called hotboxes) or other signs of trouble.
The Conductor's Home Away From Home
It was common for railroads to assign a caboose to a conductor for his exclusive use. Conductors took great pride in their cars, despite the caboose's many derogatory nicknames, including "crummy," "doghouse," "bone-breaker," "snake wagon," and "hearse." The men decorated their car interiors with many homey touches, including curtains and family photos. Some of the most important additions were ingredients for cooking meals that became a part of American folklore. Augmented with such comforting features, the caboose served as a home away from the trainmen's home terminals.
Technology Overtakes the Caboose
The Beginning of Obsolescence
Cabooses became a uniquely Canadian tradition. Overseas, their use had always been rare, or was eliminated many years ago. Even in the United States, technological change began eliminating the need for cabooses before the turn of the century. The spread in the 1880s of the automatic air brake system invented by George Westinghouse eliminated the need for brakemen to manually set brakes. The air brakes were soon followed by the use of electric track circuits to activate signals, providing protection for trains and eliminating the need for flagmen. Friction bearings were replaced by roller bearings, reducing overheated journals and making visual detection by smoke an unlikely event. Trains became longer, making it difficult for the conductor to see the entire train from the caboose, and freight cars became so high that they blocked the view from the traditional cupola. The increasing heaviness and speed of the trains made on-board cooking hazardous and unnecessary. New labor agreements reduced the hours of service required for train crews and eliminated the need for cabooses as lodging. Cabooses, when used at all, were drawn from "pools" and no longer assigned to individual conductors. Eventually, electronic "hotbox" and dragging equipment detectors, which would check moving trains more efficiently and reliably than men in cabooses, were installed along main lines, and computers eliminated the conductors' need to store and track paperwork.
The Caboose's Replacement
Today, the ends of freight trains are monitored by remote radio devices called "End of Train" devices, or EOTs. The small boxes fit over the rear coupler and are coupled into the train's air brake line. The EOT radios information to the engineer regarding the brake pressure at the rear of the train, whether or not the last car is moving, and whether or not the flashing red light is working (activated at night by a sensor). The EOT also allows the engineer to set the air brakes from the rear of the train in case the train breaks in two, thus, in an emergency, setting brakes on both halves of the train.