1937 Caboose Great Northern X176
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Burlington Northern 11470

1937 Caboose Great Northern X176, also, Burlington Northern 11470. . , This caboose was an "one of a kind" car in the Great Northern caboose fleet and was often referred to as the "Iron Range Caboose". Built by the Pullman Standard Company in 1937 for the Great Northern Railway at St. Cloud, Minnesota, as a 40 feet 6 inches double sheathed outside brace steel box car. In 1962 while in service, it was converted to a caboose. It was transferred to the Burlington Northern in 1970. It has several unusual features - it contained two bunks, the cupola is toward the rear of the car rather than the middle, and it contained a storage area called a "Possum's Belly" which is a black box with sliding doors located under the car., The car is larger than the regular caboose as it is 9 feet 2 ½ inches wide with an overall length of 44 feet 2 ½ inches and weighs 56,700 pounds., Cabooses provided shelter for crew at the end of a freight train, who helped in switching, keeping a lookout for load shifting, damage to equipment and cargo, and overheating axles, The caboose was donated by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad to the Greater Hillyard Business Association in 1992. In 2005, ownership was transferred to the Hillyard Heritage Museum Society. It was maintained, operated and under the care of the Spokane Fire Station Museum dba Fire and Rail Museum from 1992 to 2015.