#13889

#13889. Missouri Pacific. A total of 350 of these main line cabooses were built by the railroad between 1977 and 1981 as the last such cars purchased by the Missouri Pacific. The bay windows extending out from each side were used by the crew to keep the train under observation, serving the same purpose as the cupola atop other cabooses. The design gave crew members an excellent side view, especially when going around curves, and the caboose's single level floor plan was considered safer and easier to heat in winter. The seats at the bay windows can be reversed and are equipped with seat belts to protect the crew from coupler slack action; this jarring motion, felt especially at the end of the train as it accelerated or decelerated, was a frequent cause of injury and one reason why cabooses were eliminated in the 1980s. #13899 is equipped with a conductor's work table, a chemical retention toilet, a sink, an oil-fired heater, and a belt backed up by a battery. A fuel tank and toolbox are mounted on one end platform. The Union Pacific Railroad donated the caboose in 2000.