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.

Kansas City Southern Transfer Cabooses. KCS had a number of transfer cabooses, built by the line in their own shops. The earliest group is represented with these two road numbers which sport friction bearing trucks, ACI tags, and red conspicuity stripes along the frame. (Later cars had roller bearings, yellow frame stripes and locomotive style all-weather windows.) The Kansas City Southern system Great Northern Transfer Caboose. Great Northern built four all-steel transfer cabooses in their St. Cloud Shops in 1967 (just before the shift to Sky Blue paint.) The four cars were built on the frames of old VO-1000 switchers and as a result were the heaviest cabooses on the GN roster! Each received a safety slogan with #X177 “Your Safety Is Up To You” and #X178 “What’s Your Safety of this period linked KC with the Gulf and Dallas with New Orleans. In later years, KCS would acquire, Mid-South, Gateway Western, Gateway Eastern, Texas-Mexican and Mexico’s TFM.

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