1957 Southern Pacific Caboose

 Why Caboose? 

While we have a lot of interesting displays to view at the Museum, the caboose seems to be the most popular with all ages. It’s a Southern Pacific from 1957 and has a lot of cool stuff to look at. We have a lot of folks take pictures of their families with it! 

Use of cabooses began in the 1830s, flat cars fitted with cabins later became purpose-built, with bay windows added to the sides of the car to allow crew to observe the train. The caboose also served as the conductor’s office, and on long routes, included sleeping accommodations and cooking facilities. 

Why is it called “caboose”? The word “caboose“is thought to have come from the Dutch word “kombuis”, which was used to describe a ship’s galley. Americans adopted the phonetic spelling “caboose” and applied it to the car at the end of the train, as it was used for the same purposes. 

Come by and check it out!