National Museum of Transportation near Kirkwood in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Missouri Pacific #13889
1980
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 22, 2019
1. Missouri Pacific #13889 Marker
Inscription.
Missouri Pacific #13889. . 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.
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.
Erected 2012 by National Museum of Transportation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1977.
Location. 38° 34.263′ N, 90° 27.808′
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W. Marker is near Kirkwood, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It is in National Museum of Transportation. It can be reached from Barrett Station Road east of Old Dougherty Ferry Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3015 Barrett Station Road, Saint Louis MO 63122, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 22, 2019
2. #13889 and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 219 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on June 30, 2026, by Garrett Koch of Saint Louis, Missouri. Photos:1, 2. submitted on April 28, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
