Union Pacific 25129
Steel Caboose
Up_25129.jpg (47234 bytes)
- John Smatlak photo, click to enlarge -

History

Built: 1944 by Pullman-Standard, Class CA-4

Construction: Steel.  Length: 36 ft. 7 in.   Weight: 54,000 lbs.

This cupola-type caboose was built for the Union Pacific Railroad in 1944. It was used throughout the extensive U.P. system until 1980, when it was donated to the Museum. Prior to sending it here, the railroad repaired and repainted it in their Omaha shops. The 25129 has been in regular service on the museum railway since that time. It was repainted by Museum volunteers in 1999.

Today, the caboose has almost disappeared from the American railroad; improved radio communication, smaller train crews, and the drive to economize have all contributed to its elimination. The End of Train Device, a small metal box with a blinking red light, has replaced the caboose at the end of most of the nation? freight trains. Crew members who once rode in the caboose now ride in the locomotive cab.

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