MoPac Caboose
A caboose bringing up the rear of a train first appeared in the early 1800s. Cabooses were basically makeshift structures built on empty flatcars to keep the train crews out of the weather. Later, it was realized that the caboose was useful for the crews to keep their eyes on the back half of the ever-lengthening trains.
To improve the view, the railroads started adding an enclosed lookout post on top of the car, known as the cupola or crow's nest. The caboose became critical to railway safety and was required by law in most states.
Initially, railroads would assign a caboose to a conductor for his exclusive use. Conductors would decorate their cab’s interior with curtains, personal items, and photos. They would also stock the pantry for cooking meals, as this was their home away from home. As time went on, this practice was discontinued. When trains began moving faster and urbanization spread, cabooses were assigned to operating districts instead of individual conductors.
The caboose was not just a home for the conductor. Until modem brake systems were installed, the caboose carried the conductor, brakeman, and flagman. When receiving the signal of a whistle blast from the engineer, the brakeman would start at the rear of the train, jump from car top to car top, and manually apply the brakes to each car. A brakeman from the engine would also do the same, starting from the engine and meeting the rear brakeman halfway. When the train stopped, the flagman would walk a prescribed distance behind the caboose to let oncoming trains know a stopped train was ahead. When the train was moving, the crew would take turns sitting in the cupola and watching for potential problems, such as smoke from the wheels and swaying cars.
The caboose was retired from most railroads in the early 1980s due to changes in crew size and technological advances. A new device called the EOT (end of train) or FRED (flashing rear end device) is used. Occasionally, however, you still find some railroads using a caboose.
The Union Pacific Railroad donated the MoPac (Missouri Pacific) 12133 caboose located on the Depot grounds in 1985. This caboose has a remarkable history. Built in 1903 by the T&P (Texas & Pacific) Railroad, it was initially a wooden caboose numbered 2217. Numerous times, the cab was rebuilt as a wooden caboose in 1906, 1925, and 1929. In 1952, it was rebuilt as a steel unit. International Car rebuilt it again for MoPac in 1964-65 and numbered it 13133. Later, MoPac renumbered it to the pres ent 12133.
This caboose was one of twenty-one cabooses rebuilt by International Car that had propane tanks installed for propane refrigerators in contrast to the old ice chest used in most cabooses. Since few cabooses had this modification, this was most likely an experiment. However, the tanks and refrigerators had been removed before the caboose's retirement.
The Caboose has a The Railroad in Rusk County, Texas Historical Commission Marker.