Drovers Caboose

T

Tim Brien

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I found another potential project hiding away in a box at the back of my storage. I made this at least six or seven years ago and as usual lost interest once 'basic' construction was finished. The car is based rather loosely on a standard gauge drovers caboose. Not shown but the cupola has a fullish interior and the underframe is complete. As regards the car interior I have attempted to provide some creature comforts.


dcb.JPG dca.JPG .
 
Interesting project. It got me to wondering what a drovers caboose was. I found this explanation.
"A drovers caboose is a second car, added onto a Livestock train, that housed the Drover's (AKA livestock handlers). This was required on the longer hauls, since the law stated that every so often the stock had to be unloaded, grazed and rested before moving on. The drovers would perform all these duties, as such they got to ride in either a modified box car or caboose that was outfitted with more bunks and a small kitchen. The car usually was situated midway in the train to allow the drovers to quickly get to any car, should there be an emergency in one of them (dead stock needing removing, re-watering, etc."
So an interior might well have bunks a kitchen and, I assume, a lavatory. Fun project.
 
My interior includes two stoves, a cook's rest area, table and seating, longitudinal bunks, a toilet and a pot belly stove in the main cabin for heating. The cupola includes seating plus storage cupboards. If I was to be building this car today then I would include an ice chest plus storage cupboards adjacent the stoves. As I simply want to get this project 'out of the way' I am just going to paint it as is.


Prior reefers or refrigeration, livestock needed to be transported on hoof across the country to market for slaughtering so a drovers caboose in a stock train on the standard gauge network would have been relatively common. Due the shorter distances travelled a narrow-gauge caboose may have been a rarity.
 
That covers it well.

I hadn't thought about the different needs for standard and narrow gauge. I'd guess even narrow gauge livestock trains would require drovers for loading and unloading, but maybe they would just be at the terminals rather than traveling along.
 
In Colorado I believe that stock trains were seasonal and at these times stock cars from other narrow gauge railroads would be contracted to the railroad needing them to supplement the cars that railroad owned.

I was watching the other day a rerun of a rerun of a movie "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys" from the mid-1960's (not a bad movie). At the commencement of the movie the mayor was up for re-election and to appease the more conservative members (voters) of the town, he had the ladies from a house of ill repute removed from the town for the duration of the election. Surprisingly, three stockcars (ex-D&RGW) were used to transport the women.
 
Ha. Great story! I'll have to see if I can find that movie.

I know there are models for narrow gauge stock cars from various narrow gauge railroads, but the reality of their use in actual practice is a question I guess. I know the RGS had sheep trains. I would be surprised if the DRG didn't transport cattle from the Gunnison area. And Denver had large stockyards, but I don't know if any of the cattle came over narrow gauge rails for any part of the trip.
 
If memory serves a drovers caboose was used for passenger traffic on the Pagosa Springs branch in its later days.
 
Thanks for tip Tim. So I went to YouTube and typed in "RGS stock train." There were a dozen hits - all model railroads. Hmmm. Well I did a little more looking and soon found some video clips of actual stock trains.
 
seigezapf said:
Ha. Great story! I'll have to see if I can find that movie.

I know there are models for narrow gauge stock cars from various narrow gauge railroads, but the reality of their use in actual practice is a question I guess. I know the RGS had sheep trains. I would be surprised if the DRG didn't transport cattle from the Gunnison area. And Denver had large stockyards, but I don't know if any of the cattle came over narrow gauge rails for any part of the trip.
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I think you'll find there's a prototype for everything!
 
seigezapf said:
Thanks for tip Tim. So I went to YouTube and typed in "RGS stock train." There were a dozen hits - all model railroads. Hmmm. Well I did a little more looking and soon found some video clips of actual stock trains.
Click to expand...
I have a photo in a book of Durango yard in 1949 - full of stock cars.

There must have been a lot of floozies in Durango in 1949 :devil::devil::devil::devil::devil:

The Nevada Central had stock cars as well, but some of these were pretty crude flat wagon conversions without roofs - not all though, some were purpose built :nod::nod:
 
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seigezapf said:
Cool. I looked up Durango Yard 1949 and found this photo. Is this the one?

it's a photo

I also looked up floozy but am not sure I can post an image here.
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Yes :clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:


There's probably not a copyright issue here as it's a library photo
 
seigezapf said:
Cool. I looked up Durango Yard 1949 and found this photo. Is this the one?



I also looked up floozy but am not sure I can post an image here.
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Elf an safety would have an 'eart attack! Any idea what that chaps doing, apart from asking for trouble?:sweating:
 
Shunting I expect. Pretty sure it was common practice.
 
seigezapf said:
Cool. I looked up Durango Yard 1949 and found this photo. Is this the one?



I also looked up floozy but am not sure I can post an image here.
Click to expand...
I wonder if anyone has tried to take a picture from that vantage pointbin recent years? Would make a great then and now, though the Railway still exists at Durango the place is vastly different from that depicted in this picture. In spite of HnS it is still possible to see Shunters in Europe riding in all sorts of what may be described as unsafe locations.
JonD
 
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