National Museum of Transportation near Kirkwood in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
#884
Spokane, Portland & Seattle
— 1954 —
The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway was jointly owned by the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern Railways. This caboose was built by the Northern Pacific Railway at its Brainerd, MN shops, and is equipped with an oil-fired heater and axle-driven electrical system.
Cabooses were the home away from home for the crew and also served as the office of the conductor, who is in charge of each freight train.
The cupola atop the car was the "watch tower" of the train. When it was in operation the conductor or brakeman sat in the cupola watching to see that the train was running satisfactorily. Cabooses are no longer used in modern train service, having been replaced by End of Train (EOT) devices. The conductor's office is now in the locomotive cab.
After the Burlington Northern merger #884 became #11436 and was donated in 1983 by the Burlington Northern Railroad.
Erected by Museum of Transportation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1983.
Location. 38° 34.257′
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. #1149 (here, next to this marker); #1 (a few steps from this marker); #724 (a few steps from this marker); #1057 (a few steps from this marker); What Does "Bi-Polar" Mean? (a few steps from this marker); #5529 (a few steps from this marker); #13889 (a few steps from this marker); Narrow Gauge (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kirkwood.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 24, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 101 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
