Downtown in Fargo in Cass County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Great Northern Caboose X227

Burlington Northern Caboose BN11224

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2023

1. Great Northern Caboose X227 Marker

Inscription. This caboose was built by the Great Northern in August 1942 and is one of 50 wood sided, cupola cabooses. It was constructed in the St. Cloud shops. The original number was X227 (the X stands for non-revenue) and it was acquired by Burlington Northern with the merger in 1970. The BN number was BN 11224.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1942.

Location. 46° 52.483′ N, 96° 47.289′ W. Marker is in Fargo, North Dakota, in Cass County. It is in Downtown. It is on North Broadway Drive just north of Main Avenue (U.S. 10), on the left when traveling north. The marker is mounted at eye-level on the east end of the subject caboose, facing North Broadway Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 602 Main Avenue, Fargo ND 58103, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Dakota’s Red River Valley.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Votes For Women (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Depot Plaza Story (about 400 feet away); Fargo & Moorhead Streetcar Railway (about 400 feet away); Great Northern Railway (about 400 feet away); Northern Pacific Railroad (about 500 feet away); City Hall & Library (about 800 feet

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away); Red River Valley Crops (approx. 0.2 miles away); Machinery Row (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fargo.

Also see . . . Caboose (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

Use of cabooses began in the 1830s, when railroads housed trainmen in shanties built onto boxcars or flatcars. The addition of the cupola, a lookout post atop the car, was introduced in 1863. The caboose provided the train crew with a shelter at the rear of the train. The crew could exit the train for switching or to protect the rear of the train when stopped. They also inspected the train for problems such as shifting loads, broken or dragging equipment, and hot boxes (overheated axle bearings, a serious fire and derailment threat). The conductor kept records and handled business from a table or desk in the caboose. Until the 1980s, laws in the United States and Canada required all freight trains to have a caboose and a full crew, for safety. Technology eventually advanced to a point where the railroads, in an effort to save money by reducing crew members, stated that cabooses were unnecessary.

(Submitted on January 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2023

2. Great Northern Caboose X227 Marker

The marker is mounted under the window, on the east end of the caboose.

Great Northern Caboose X227 /<br>Burlington Northern Caboose BN11224 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2023

3. Great Northern Caboose X227 /
Burlington Northern Caboose BN11224

Great Northern Caboose X227 / Burlington Northern Caboose BN11224 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2023

4. Great Northern Caboose X227 / Burlington Northern Caboose BN11224

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 25, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 207 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.