caboose

Watch the Erie Zoo train cross a 103-year-old trestle on Trainmentary 17

| Trainumentarian

After winding through the zoo, this mini-train travels across a 200-foot concrete bridge/trestle twice. On the second crossing, on the way back to the station, the trestle comes into full view. The trestle was originally constructed as a bridge across the mighty Mill Creek, which flooded the City of Erie in 1915, killing over 30 people, including the fire chief. The bridge, which also serves as a driftcatcher to prevent further flooding, was constructed in 1916, and updated in 2010. It was adapted for use as a mini-train trestle in the mid 20th century. Still photos by Michael L. Morgan.

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Trainumentary Trivia: Is the Caboose Still in Use?

| Trainumentarian

Is there a railroad entity around that still uses cabooses as functional train cars? Find the answer below the photo of Texas and Pacific caboose 13553, which was snapped from the window of the Texas Eagle as it passed through Mineola, TX in January 2016.

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Answer – Yes!

According to Wikipedia as of this writing:

“CSX Transportation is one of the only Class 1 railroads that still maintains a fleet of modified cabooses for regular use. Employed as “shoving platforms” at the rear of local freight trains which must perform long reverse moves or heavy switching, these are generally rebuilt bay-window cabooses with their cabin doors welded shut (leaving their crews to work from the rear platform). BNSF also maintains a fleet of former wide-vision cabooses for a similar purpose, and in 2013 began repainting some of them in heritage paint schemes of BNSF’s predecessor railroads.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caboose

The featured photo is an old red wooden caboose which is part of the railway stock at the Lakeshore Historical Railway Society in North East, PA.

both caboose photos c. 2016 trainumentary.com