For generations of North American train crews, the caboose was more than just a car on the tail of the train. It was office, workshop, lookout post and sometimes even home: the vantage point from which the men at the back kept the whole train in order. From here, they watched for hotboxes, shifting loads or dragging equipment, and did the paperwork that kept the freight moving.
Maine Central Railroad caboose No. 660 stands at Bangor, Maine, with several stablemates stretching into the distance on 23 August 1978. © Bill Rogerson Early cabooses were plain wooden affairs, little more than mobile sheds. Later versions sprouted cupolas or bay windows to give a better view down the length of the train. By the middle of the 20th century, they had become sturdier, better equipped and even more comfortable compared with their predecessors. Modern technology — radios, trackside detectors, rear-end marker devices — gradually rendered them redundant, but the caboose remains one of the enduring icons of American railroading.
Northeastern Style
The caboose type we now call the Northeastern was born on the Reading Company in the early 1920s. Wooden hacks were still the norm, but the Reading wanted something sturdier to cope with the pounding of heavy coal trains. Their answer was an all-steel body: plain, purposeful and strong enough to stand years of rough service.
Between 1923 and 1924, the Reading built 285 cars of this type across several classes. The first had solid underframes; later builds introduced Duryea cushion underframes that smoothed the ride for crews on rough track. The design was so successful that other Northeastern roads soon followed. The Central Railroad of New Jersey, Lehigh & New England, Lehigh Valley, Pittsburgh & West Virginia and Western Maryland all rostered similar cars. Some were built by the Reading, others in home shops, and each batch had its own quirks — differences in trucks, steps, running boards, grab irons and whether or not the end walls carried windows.
What they all had in common was toughness. Northeasterns lasted into the Conrail and Chessie years, and many found second lives on Class I and short lines. A fair number survive today in museums, on tourist lines or adapted for new uses, from cabins to hotel rooms. They may not have had the striking profile of the wide-visions, but as dependable workhorses, they were about as good as it got.
International Wide Vision
By the 1950s, freight cars were getting taller, and a man perched in an old-style cupola could barely see past the first couple of box cars. The solution was simple: extend the cupola out over the sides of the carbody and restore the crew’s view along the train. Thus, the wide-vision, or extended-vision, caboose was born — instantly recognisable, unmistakably modern and very much the last word in caboose design.
Some roads, such as the Rock Island, were created by fitting extensions to existing cars. Most, however, were purpose-built, with the International Car Company taking the lead and turning out hundreds for railroads across the continent. The wider cupola not only gave a clear line of sight past high-sided cars but also made for a roomier interior, a small but welcome concession to crew comfort.
In many ways, the wide-vision was the caboose’s last hurrah. Modern, practical and still common into the 1980s, they were finally displaced when electronic train-end devices took over.
Maine Central
On the Maine Central, the caboose was always the “buggy”, and the fleet reflected the line’s character: varied, hard-working and often rebuilt to suit the times. Wooden cars from the First World War era were rebuilt with plywood sides. Others were sheathed in steel at Waterville. The road also rostered International wide-visions and three distinctive home-built long cabooses on express reefer trucks, with either vertical or sloped cupola sides.
By the Guilford era, the writing was on the wall, but the buggies clung on. One even received the grey-and-orange Guilford scheme, the only MEC caboose ever to do so.
Maine Central caboose No. 468 stands outside the railroad’s shops at Lewiston, Maine, in 1934, with smoke rising from its stove chimney as the car awaits its next assignment. Built by the Maine Central in 1907, No. 468 represents the railroad’s distinctive fleet of wooden cabooses that served freight trains across the system during the first half of the twentieth century. The unusually large number of side windows reflects the car’s original design, while the Lewiston shops formed one of several important maintenance facilities on the Maine Central. © David S. Hutchinson Collection Caboose No. 558, shown before reskinning in plywood, retains its original wood siding typical of Maine Central’s earlier “buggies.” © Geoff Quadland. Maine Central caboose No. 559R stands at St. Johnsbury, Vermont, on 2 June 1980. The car carries the bright yellow safety scheme with “Think Safety, Work Safely” lettering, typical of later MEC caboose repaints. © Richard Merriam Maine Central Railroad caboose No. 560R stands at Waterville, Maine, showing the effects of hard service, with heavily worn paint revealing the timber beneath the yellow finish. Despite its tired appearance, the caboose retains its distinctive cupola and practical detailing, typical of MEC’s working fleet in the late 1970s. 22 August 1978 © Bill Rogerson Waldo H. Kingston captured Maine Central caboose No. 563 on display at Boothbay Harbor, Maine, in September 1965. © Great Falls Model Railroad Club Maine Central Railroad caboose 582 stands at Rigby Yard, South Portland, Maine, in the summer of 1980. The weathered wooden caboose carries the railroad’s distinctive “Pine Tree Route” herald and shows the effects of years of hard service. © Bill Rogerson Maine Central wooden caboose No. 599 stands in Bangor, Maine, on 29 May 1957. One of the railroad’s long-serving wooden cabooses, it represents a type that had been a familiar sight on freight trains for decades. By the late 1950s, these cars were steadily giving way to newer steel cabooses, making scenes such as this increasingly uncommon. Visible on the body sides are the distinctive Pine Tree Route herald and the reinforced flag brackets fitted at each corner, details familiar to generations of Maine Central train crews. © Ray Higgins Maine Central wooden caboose No. 559 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, on 3 October 1978. Originally built as a traditional wooden caboose, No. 559 was among several cars that received plywood side sheathing as a cost-effective rebuilding measure, extending their service lives well into the late 1970s. Still carrying the familiar “Think Safety, Work Safely” slogan and Pine Tree Route herald, the veteran caboose illustrates the Maine Central’s practical approach to maintaining its ageing caboose fleet during its final years of regular use. © W. M. Matuch Maine Central caboose No. 600 is seen at St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in 1948. The Pine Tree Route herald is prominently displayed on the car side, while the clean appearance suggests it had been repainted not long before this photograph was taken. St. Johnsbury was one of the Maine Central’s principal freight terminals and an important interchange point with several connecting railroads, making cabooses such as No. 600 a familiar sight at the western end of the Mountain Division. © David S. Hutchinson Collection Maine Central caboose No. 606 rests in Bangor, Maine, on 10 September 1973. Although showing the effects of years of service, it still carries the railroad’s distinctive harvest yellow paint scheme with the large Pine Tree Route herald applied to the car side. Bangor remained an important operating centre for the Maine Central, and cabooses such as No. 606 were a familiar presence in the yard as freight trains were assembled and crews prepared for their next assignments. © D. H. Hemley Collection Maine Central Railroad caboose No. 606R at Waterville, Maine, on 22 August 1978. One of the railroad’s distinctive rebuilt “Plywood Pullman” cabooses, it carries the bright yellow Pine Tree Route livery that became a hallmark of Maine Central freight operations during the 1970s. © Bill Rogerson Maine Central wooden caboose re-sheathed with steel at Waterville, ME, in April 1980. © George Melvin Collection Maine Central Caboose #614R is seen at Livermore Falls, ME on 8 December 1977. © Richard Merriam Caboose #614, a plywood-sheathed example from Maine Central’s eclectic fleet, stands at Newport Junction in 1982, awaiting a run to Dover-Foxcroft. © Michael Shufelt Originally a wooden caboose, Maine Central #623 was one of a few that were rebuilt with steel sides and ends and new aluminium window frames. Bangor, ME. 16 February 1983 © D.S.Hutchinson Collection Freshly painted Maine Central caboose No. 627 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, during March 1976. Carrying the railroad’s simplified tree emblem and bold lettering introduced during the Guilford era’s approach to corporate branding, the car also displays the familiar “Think Safety, Work Safely” slogan applied to the body side. Rigby Yard was the Maine Central’s principal freight terminal, where cabooses were assigned to road freights departing for destinations across the system. © George Melvin Collection Maine Central caboose No. 627R stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, during May 1976. Carrying the railroad’s later harvest yellow paint scheme with the simplified tree emblem and bold “MAINE CENTRAL” lettering, the caboose also displays the familiar “Think Safety, Work Safely” slogan. The suffix “R” indicated that the car was restricted to service on the Maine Central, reflecting its assignment within the railroad’s own operating territory during the final decade of independent operation. © Jack Bowles Freshly outshopped in Maine Central’s striking harvest yellow and green livery, caboose No. 635 is photographed at Waterville, Maine, in 1954. The newly applied Pine Tree Route herald and immaculate finish contrast with the shop buildings in the background, capturing the car at the beginning of another period of service. Waterville was the railroad’s principal mechanical facility, where locomotives and rolling stock received repairs, rebuilding and repainting throughout the Maine Central system. © David S. Hutchinson Collection Maine Central Railroad caboose No. 637 stands at Madison, Maine, in 1965. One of the few surviving traditional cabooses that had not yet received plywood sheathing, it carries the railroad’s first yellow paint scheme, introduced in 1954. © George Melvin Maine Central caboose No. 642 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, during May 1976. One of the railroad’s modern steel cabooses, it carries the harvest yellow paint scheme with the pine tree emblem and the familiar “Think Safety, Work Safely” slogan applied prominently across the body side. Rigby Yard remained the centre of Maine Central freight operations, where cabooses such as No. 642 were assigned to road freights departing across the railroad’s extensive network. © Jack Bowles Maine Central Railroad extended vision caboose No. 642 stands at Rigby Yard, South Portland, Maine, on 21 August 1978. © Bill Rogerson Caboose #642, an International wide vision type with tabbed side sills, at Rigby Yard in August 1978. © Rich Gibson Maine Central caboose No. 643 is seen in bright yellow livery at South Portland, Maine, 19 August 1981. Built in 1974 by International Car Company, this steel caboose reflects the later standardised designs adopted by many railroads, with extended platforms, safety railings, and a compact cupola. © Matt Herson Maine Central caboose #644 at South Portland, Maine, on 7 May 1984, wearing Guilford’s grey-and-orange paint scheme, the only MEC caboose to receive this treatment. © Chuck Zeiler Brand-new Maine Central caboose #645, only a month old, at Rigby Yard (South Portland, Maine) in November 1972. © George Melvin Collection Maine Central caboose no. 646, a converted boxcar, stands alongside an International-built wide-vision caboose in Harvest Gold at St. Johnsbury in May 1975. The pairing neatly captures the transition from older rebuilt equipment to more modern caboose designs in MEC service, set against the busy three-road junction of the CP, MEC and St. Johnsbury & Lamoille County. © Brian Nicholson Maine Central Cupola Caboose #648R at Hermon, Maine, on 23 July 1977. Home-built at Waterville Shops in 1976, this caboose was one of three of this design on the MEC roster. © Thomas Seiler A Maine Central caboose #648R adds a classic touch to a train departing Rigby Yard, Portland, Maine, on 15 March 1977. The trainman strikes a pose that would likely raise eyebrows in today’s safety-conscious world. Also seen in the mix is WHSX 112, a W. H. Shurtleff Co. PS 4427 cu. ft. PS 3-bay hopper, specifically used for salt traffic. © Doug Lilly Maine Central Railroad extended vision caboose No. 653 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, on 21 August 1978. Painted in the railroad’s distinctive bright yellow scheme with prominent safety slogans and the Pine Tree emblem, the caboose represents a type widely adopted across North America to improve crew visibility around high and wide freight loads. No. 653 was one of Maine Central’s fleet of International Car-built extended vision cabooses and was a familiar sight on freight trains throughout New England during the 1970s and 1980s. © Bill Rogerson Maine Central Railroad caboose No. 655 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, on 21 August 1978. Built by International Car in 1964, the cupola caboose wears Maine Central’s distinctive yellow Pine Tree Route livery. © Bill Rogerson Maine Central Railroad cabooses Nos. 655 and 656 stand at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, on 21 August 1978. Both International Car-built cupola cabooses wear the railroad’s distinctive yellow Pine Tree Route livery, with No. 656 still carrying its original factory paint. © Bill Rogerson Maine Central caboose No. 659 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, during May 1976. Finished in the railroad’s later harvest yellow paint scheme with the Pine Tree Route herald, the car carries the familiar “Think Safety, Work Safely” slogan that became a standard feature of the fleet during the 1970s. Photographed alongside other cabooses awaiting their next assignments, No. 659 represents the everyday appearance of Maine Central’s road caboose fleet during the final decade before cabooses disappeared from regular freight service. © Jack Bowles Maine Central Railroad caboose No. 655 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, during the summer of 1980. Freshly painted in the railroad’s distinctive safety yellow livery, the caboose carries the prominent slogan “Think Safety, Work Safely” alongside the Maine Central pine tree emblem. Cars such as No. 655 were still a familiar sight on freight trains across the system at the time, providing accommodation and office space for train crews. © Bill Rogerson Maine Central Railroad cupola caboose No. 656 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, on 21 August 1978. Painted in the railroad’s distinctive yellow livery, it was one of the traditional cabooses that remained a familiar sight on Maine Central freight trains during the 1970s and 1980s. © Bill Rogerson Maine Central caboose No. 658 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, during May 1976. Finished in the railroad’s later harvest yellow paint scheme with the simplified tree emblem and large “MAINE CENTRAL” lettering, the car also carries the familiar “Think Safety, Work Safely” slogan. Rigby remained the railroad’s principal freight terminal, where cabooses such as No. 658 were assigned to road freights operating across the Maine Central system. © Jack Bowles Maine Central caboose No. 661 stands at Bangor, Maine, on 29 August 1986. One of five cabooses acquired second-hand from the Western Maryland Railway, No. 661 retained the distinctive design of its former owner while wearing the Maine Central’s harvest yellow paint and Pine Tree Route herald. By the time this photograph was taken, cabooses were rapidly disappearing from freight trains across North America, making scenes such as this among the last of an era on the Maine Central. © Richard Louderback Maine Central caboose No. 662 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, on 25 June 1968. One of five cabooses purchased second-hand from the Western Maryland Railway, No. 662 retained its distinctive carbody and Andrews trucks after entering Maine Central service. Repainted into the railroad’s harvest yellow and green Pine Tree Route livery, it represents the transition from the Maine Central’s ageing wooden caboose fleet to more modern steel equipment during the 1960s. © Mike Vaiuso Maine Central caboose No. 662 stands at Bangor, Maine, 22 September 1974. This caboose, with its cupola, end platforms, and handbrake wheel, shows the well-worn appearance of long-serving equipment still in everyday use on the MEC during the 1970s. © Matt Herson Maine Central Railroad caboose No. 662 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, on 25 June 1968. Originally Western Maryland No. 1804, the caboose was acquired by Maine Central in 1962 and retained its distinctive northeastern-style design. It was one of several second-hand cabooses purchased to modernise the railroad’s caboose fleet during the 1960s. © David S. Hutchinson Collection Maine Central steel cupola caboose No. 662 at Bangor, Maine, on 15 May 1977. Originally from the Western Maryland Railroad. © Matt Herson Boston & Maine F7 No. 4228 leads a westbound Rigby-Worcester freight extra out of Rigby Yard, South Portland, Maine, on 11 March 1967, as an eastbound Maine Central freight prepares to depart in the opposite direction. Bringing up the rear of the Maine Central train is caboose No. 664, one of the railroad’s former Western Maryland cabooses, still riding on its original Andrews trucks. The busy scene captures Rigby at the height of its activity, with freight traffic from both railroads sharing New England’s busiest rail terminal. © J. Emmons Lancaster Maine Central caboose #664 at Waterville, Maine, in October 1971. These cars, purchased from the Western Maryland Railroad, originally entered service in harvest yellow and black with an offset emblem and Andrews trucks. © David Hutchinson Maine Central Caboose 664, a classic Northeastern design, was photographed in Calais, Maine, in October 1978. Now preserved at the Danbury Railway Museum , Connecticut, this caboose reflects the enduring legacy of railroading in the Northeast. © George Berisso Maine Central caboose No. 664 stands at Bangor, Maine, August 1983. © Matt Herson As International Wide Vision caboose #671 of YR-1 St. Johnsbury – Rigby Yard, Portland clears the B&M diamond in Whitefield , NH, a crewman adjusts the ball signal—the last of its kind in regular railroad service. The ball on the left will be hoisted to the high position, signalling the B&M to proceed, a practice that inspired the term “highball.” © Doug Kroll Maine Central caboose No. 671 stands at Whitefield, New Hampshire, in 1980. Finished in the railroad’s final high-visibility paint scheme with the simplified tree emblem and “Think Safety, Work Safely” slogan, the steel caboose was typical of those assigned to road freights during the closing years of independent Maine Central operations. Whitefield remained an important junction on the Mountain Division, where the line to Berlin and Groveton diverged from the route west towards St. Johnsbury. © Dave Albert MEC roster highlights:
600–639: assorted WWI-era wooden cabooses rebuilt with plywood sides640–641: International wide-visions with straight side sills642–645: International wide-visions with tabbed side sills646: one-off caboose built from a boxcar at Waterville647: long home-built on express reefer trucks with vertical cupola sides648–650: long home-built on express reefer trucks with sloped cupola sides651–654: International wide-visions with straight side sills655–659: International standard cupola cabooses660–664: ex-Western Maryland Northeasterns670–672: International wide-visions with tabbed side sills, built without running boards
Cabooses with an “R” suffix were restricted to home-road service. The phase-out began in earnest under Guilford in 1985.
No. Details RRPA Notes … 537 836457 … 558 559 692696 560 193695 561 562 563 4204953 http://cencalrails.railfan.net/mec563.html … 571 … 581 1911 Laconia Car Company 674387 582 http://cencalrails.railfan.net/mec582.html … 599 … 606 … 610 674566 611 836459 612R Micro-Trains 100 00 610 ★ 613 614 397776 615 616 710267 Atlas 50 001 390 ★ 617 629149 618 692927 619 620 621 543930 622 623R 396594 624 625 626 627 676334 628 3553265 629 630 2910794 Intervale in New England Glory: Mountain Division 631 632 634 637 Atlas 50 001 391 ★ — 640 641 642 International Wide Vision with tabbed side sills 643 International Wide Vision with tabbed side sills 644 International Wide Vision with tabbed side sills 380097 / 692929 The only MEC Caboose to wear Guilford colours. Atlas N Master International Extended-Vision Caboose? 645 International Wide Vision with tabbed side sills 646 One of a kind, built from a boxcar 462634 /396599 /692687 Built from boxcar no. 4939 (a 1932 ARA 9ft 4in inside height, 40ft car from Magor Car Company, Lot P8750, delivered December 1936), this caboose was converted at the Waterville shops. It later worked on the Mountain Division, most often around Gilman and Whitefield, and was known as the Beecher Falls caboose. After its time at Beecher Falls, it moved between assignments until, in 1984/85, it was allocated to trains 324/325 out of Rockland at the request of the job’s conductor, G. R. “Dick” Frank. Today, it is preserved on the Grafton & Upton Railroad in Massachusetts. 647 Long home-built on express reefer trucks with verticle cupola sides 648R Long home-built on express reefer trucks with sloped cupola sides 676331 /647290 Blomberg B Trucks 649R Long home-built on express reefer trucks with sloped cupola sides 674388 650R Long home-built on express reefer trucks with sloped cupola sides 650R was originally numbered 656 but was renumbered in 1963 to make room for a new series of cabooses from I.C.C., 655-659. 651 Atlas 50 000 295 ★ RP 652 653 http://cencalrails.railfan.net/mec653.jpg ★ 654 655 International Standard Cupola Atlas 50 005 605 ★ 656 International Standard Cupola Atlas 43011 ★ Atlas 43018 ★ 657 International Standard Cupola Atlas 43111 ★ Atlas 43116 ★ 658 International Standard Cupola Atlas 43112 ★ Atlas 43117 ★ 659 International Standard Cupola Atlas 43012 ★ Atlas 43019 ★ Atlas 50 005 606 ★ 660 Ex Western Maryland Northeastern Style RRPA ex-WM 1878. Purchased in 1962. Now on display at the Cole Land Transportation Museum. 661 Ex Western Maryland Northeastern Style 308591 ex-WM 1904. Built in 1940 by Union Bridge. Purchased in 1962. Acquired by the Danbury Railway Museum in 2000. Bachmann 16854 ★ 662 Ex Western Maryland Northeastern Style 674565 ex-WM 1804. Purchased in 1962. Kimball Oil, Great Barrington, MA, from Canaan, CT. 663 Ex Western Maryland Northeastern Style 710270 /692936 ex-WM 1838. Purchased in 1962. David Ritz, Apalachin, NY. 664 Ex Western Maryland Northeastern Style 730269 ex-WM 1837. Purchased in 1962. Danbury RR Museum, Danbury, CT, from Canaan, CT. 670 International Wide Vision 183725 Atlas 30281 ★ Atlas 30289 ★ 671 International Wide Vision 380097 /692929 672 International Wide Vision 540818 Delivered by the B&M to the Maine Central at Whitefield, NH during November 1981. The last buggy purchased by MEC generally ran on the Mountain Division before its transfer to the D&H. Now privately owned and operates on the Stourbridge Line in Honesdale, PA.
Portland Terminal
Portland Terminal caboose No. 2 is seen on the Deering Junction Local at Rigby Yard, South Portland, Maine, on 26 December 1963. Built by the Laconia Car Company in 1911 as Maine Central caboose No. 577, it was transferred to the Portland Terminal Company on 31 October 1963 and renumbered No. 2. Resheathed with plywood as part of its later life, the veteran caboose illustrates how older equipment was economically rebuilt to continue serving the busy Portland terminal district. © George Melvin Portland Terminal Company caboose No. 5 stands at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, during 1971. Carrying the simple reporting marks “P.T.Co.”, the caboose was part of the fleet used by Portland Terminal crews, who handled switching and transfer freight movements throughout the Portland terminal district on behalf of the Maine Central and Boston & Maine railroads. By this date, the car’s yellow paint had faded considerably, reflecting years of hard service in one of northern New England’s busiest rail hubs. © David S. Hutchinson Collection Belfast & Moosehead Lake
Belfast & Moosehead Lake caboose No. 28 is seen in bright red livery at Belfast, Maine, 17 August 1981. Built in January 1926, the car displays classic caboose construction with a cupola and steel underframe, typical of long-lived short line equipment. © Matt Herson Epilogue
The caboose was never just a car at the end of the train. For generations of railroaders, it was a workplace, a refuge, and a front-row seat on the life of the line. Maine Central’s “buggies” were no exception, a mixed fleet that spoke of adaptation, economy, and the hard work of keeping trains moving in New England conditions.
Today their outlines survive in photographs, in preserved examples, and in memory: the steady rhythm of wheels underfoot, the view from a cupola, the glow of red marker lamps dwindling into the dusk. Whether built of wood, steel, or something in between, they carried more than waybills and marker lights; they carried the human side of railroading.
