Saturday, March 18, 2017

#10 RB 50's


13 comments:

JIM ELLIOTT said...

GRET SET of PIXS Buckles. THJANKS for SHARING!

Chic Silber said...


What was this last car ?

4pawfan said...

The letter board looks like " Atlantic Coast Line " and it is being used as the caboose of this section. It has the standard marker lamps on it like a caboose. This is an older heavy weight passenger car (maybe the railroad's business car) and maybe they needed to transfer it down the line? p.j.

Chic Silber said...


That makes sense PJ

for the ACL train crew

Roger Smith said...

PJ: What was it that finally eliminated the caboose from most or all trains today?

Chic Silber said...


Some years back (long ago)

the Freight Rail Companies

beat the unions back from

that demand in turn that

some jobs were protected

The "Crummies" were all

retired or became exhibits

at or near old stations

Many were sold for scrap

Richard Reynolds said...

In this scene, I believe the train is backing up after having gone out onto ACL's Manatee River bridge at Bradenton. Note the brakeman hanging on to the right rear of the coach and signaling ahead to the locomotives. I have thought this likely means that the coach was to be dropped at the Bradenton depot which the train has just passed.

These photos were taken in 1954. The route book for that year verifies that the trains left Sarasota quarters via the ACL.

This, the ACL bridge over the Manatee, is still in use. The old SAL bridge just to the east was abandoned following the merger of the two.

Chic Silber said...


I think that bridge & some

track South into Manatee is

still owned by "CSX" & joins

Seminole Gulf track very near

the Suburban Gas plant where

Sem Gulf keeps a locomotive

Chic Silber said...


It was Seminole Gulf

that precipitated the

exit from Venice WQ

4pawfan said...

Thank you Mr.Reynolds for verifying the year as 1954.
p.j.

Larry Louree said...

The caboose would monitor the air pressure through the entire train. The railroads came up with a box to hang on the last car plugged into the air line. It communicates with the engine over a radio frequency, if the air pressure drops or goes away, because a car uncoupled, the engine is signaled to stop the train. Saves an employee and the weight of a non-revenue car. I think they are called FRED but I don't remember what the acronym means.

4pawfan said...

Fred= Flashing red end device

It is the sense and braking unit (sbu) you see at the back of trains now.

p.j.

Larry Louree said...

Thanks, it's been a while since I was actively modeling trains.