New labor agreements reduced the hours of service required for train crews and eliminated the need for cabooses as lodging. Cabooses, when used at all, were drawn from "pools" and no longer assigned to individual conductors.
What replaced cabooses?
End of Train DevicesThe caboose was largely replaced by technology. Today, railroads utilize End of Train Devices (EOTs), sometimes referred to as a flashing rear end device (FRED), in place of the caboose. The EOT attaches into the air hose on the trailing car in the train.