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- Sherburne Company Caboose Whistle, 1932-1940 - Usually the caboose was at the rear of a freight train, where it served as a workspace for the conductor and crew. But when a train ran in reverse, the caboose became the front. The crew used a whistle like this to signal a warning when approaching railroad crossings. Air pressure from the train's brake line produced the whistle's sound.

- 1932-1940
- Collections - Artifact
Sherburne Company Caboose Whistle, 1932-1940
Usually the caboose was at the rear of a freight train, where it served as a workspace for the conductor and crew. But when a train ran in reverse, the caboose became the front. The crew used a whistle like this to signal a warning when approaching railroad crossings. Air pressure from the train's brake line produced the whistle's sound.
- Detroit & Mackinac Railway Caboose, circa 1912 - The caboose was the conductor's office, the crew's quarters, and -- from the elevated cupola -- a place to spot problems on the train. By the 1980s, the caboose was made obsolete by new technologies and smaller crews. This car served on Michigan's Detroit & Mackinac Railway, which operated a 200-mile route between Bay City and Cheboygan along the Lake Huron shoreline.

- circa 1912
- Collections - Artifact
Detroit & Mackinac Railway Caboose, circa 1912
The caboose was the conductor's office, the crew's quarters, and -- from the elevated cupola -- a place to spot problems on the train. By the 1980s, the caboose was made obsolete by new technologies and smaller crews. This car served on Michigan's Detroit & Mackinac Railway, which operated a 200-mile route between Bay City and Cheboygan along the Lake Huron shoreline.
- Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, October 1926 - The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.

- October 25, 1926
- Collections - Artifact
Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, October 1926
The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.
- Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1926 - The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.

- February 11, 1926
- Collections - Artifact
Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1926
The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.
- Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1926 - The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.

- February 11, 1926
- Collections - Artifact
Interior of a Railroad Caboose, Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, February 1926
The caboose served as an office for the conductor, temporary living quarters for the train crew and a storage shack for tools and equipment. The cupola at top provided crew members with a place to watch for problems with the train. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors and smaller crews all made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.
- Toy Wrecker Caboose, 1948 -

- 1948
- Collections - Artifact
Toy Wrecker Caboose, 1948
- Toy Caboose, 1927 -

- 1927
- Collections - Artifact
Toy Caboose, 1927
- Toy Caboose, 1953 -

- 1953
- Collections - Artifact
Toy Caboose, 1953
- Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad Caboose, 1925 - The caboose was the conductor's office, the crew's quarters, and the observation platform from which to spot problems with the train. It could also be dangerous. "Slack action" -- sudden movement when slack ran in and out of a moving train -- could toss riders about. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors, and smaller crews made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.

- 1925
- Collections - Artifact
Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad Caboose, 1925
The caboose was the conductor's office, the crew's quarters, and the observation platform from which to spot problems with the train. It could also be dangerous. "Slack action" -- sudden movement when slack ran in and out of a moving train -- could toss riders about. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors, and smaller crews made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.