The Classic Caboose

The Classic Caboose. . The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) built this caboose in 1890. After almost 70 years working all over the country and for several different railroad companies, the caboose was decommissioned in Lubbock, Texas, by the Fort Worth and Denver Railway, which later became part of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway., Around 1969, Sean and Susan Acrey purchased the caboose, one of 300 for sale, for $50. The Acreys modified the interior to allow for residential living by installing a shower and a kitchen. Despite their changes, the family did much to preserve this wooden classic., In 2010, the Acrey family generously offered the caboose to the Las Cruces Railroad Museum through a gift to the Foundation for Las Cruces Museums (FLCM). The Railroad Museum is working to renovate the caboose for tours and interpretation as funding is available., Cabooses filled many needs for railroad workers. They served as an office for conductors, housed on-duty brakemen and flagmen, stored tools and parts for linemen, and offered a place to sleep for those working the line. Conductors, the brakemen, and flagmen were part of the communication system up and down the line., Most train historians agree that the first cabooses were boxcars converted to offices and places to sleep in the 1830s and 1840s. Finding this new type of car useful, formal production was in place by 1920. Common features of these unique cars were cupolas, porches or platforms, and windows, As communication and engine design advanced in the late 1970s and 1980s, the need for conductors to have offices on each train diminished. The caboose became obsolete by the mid-1990s. Now these retired cars can be found in private collections and on display at museums around the world., This caboose was donated to the FLCM in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of our Santa Fe Depot, as a gift from Sean and Susan Acrey, in memory of Bill and Dorothy Hord of Lubbock, Texas, The Foundation for Las Cruces Museums wishes to acknowledge the donors who made the acquisition of the caboose possible: Mr. Larry Broxton . Mr. and Mrs. John and Lori Grumet . Mrs. Laura Hubbard-Tompkins . Mr. Arturo and Mr. Pete Jurado, Jurado Farms . Mr. and Mrs. Ron and Christine Logan . Steve Newby Architects and Associates, Inc. . Paul and Bonnie Schranz . Mr. Will Ticknor . The Walczak Family, in remembrance of Bart Walczak, The Railroad Museum also wishes to acknowledge and thank our volunteers who worked tirelessly to prepare the museum for arrival and placement of the caboose: Bill Atchison Dale Bradshaw . Tom and Karen O'Brien . Jim Searls . John Deck . James Frank . Steve McDaniel . Chris Smith