Transfer cabooses were used for cross-town hops between yards. In the post-caboose era they have been used as “shoving platforms” providing a place for the brakeman or conductor to ride and be the engineer’s eyes during long backup moves. They did not have cupolas or bay windows, cots or amenities. In fact many didn’t have electricity. Most were built in the railroad’s own shops.

Conrail Transfer Cabooses. Conrail inherited most of their transfer cabooses from Penn Central who (along with predecessor New York Central) had built them by the hundreds in their own shops, largely from old boxcar components. Conrail had the largest fleet of transfer cabooses in the nation. The two road numbers in this release received this paint sometime in 1978 (two yearsIndiana Harbor Belt Transfer Cabooses. IHB is one of Chicago’s major terminal carriers, shifting blocks of cars from connections on one side of the city to the other. For most of its history, it was controlled by New York Central with a 60% stake (C&NW and MILW split the rest.) Today ownership is split between Canadian Pacific, Norfolk Southern and CSX. While parent NYC (later PC) was building transfer cabooses for themselves after the creation of Conrail itself) and received the two-box format consolidated stencils and, since they had 33” wheels, the black and yellow “U-1 inspection dot.”

All Bluford Shops cabooses come ready-to-run with magnetically operating knuckle style couplers, metal detail parts and, roller bearing caboose style leaf spring trucks except where noted. Axel generators and screen window frames will be included in the package.    

Expected Release: July 2012