Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad Caboose, 1925
Add to SetSummary
The caboose was the conductor's office, the crew's quarters, and the observation platform from which to spot problems with the train. It could also be dangerous. "Slack action" -- sudden movement when slack ran in and out of a moving train -- could toss riders about. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors, and smaller crews made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.
The caboose was the conductor's office, the crew's quarters, and the observation platform from which to spot problems with the train. It could also be dangerous. "Slack action" -- sudden movement when slack ran in and out of a moving train -- could toss riders about. Computerized record keeping, trackside defect detectors, and smaller crews made the caboose obsolete by the 1980s.
Artifact
Caboose
Date Made
1925
Keywords
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Transportation - Trains
Object ID
72.163.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad.
Material
Steel
Wood (Plant material)
Color
Red
Dimensions
Height: 14 ft
Width: 9.5 ft
Length: 29.25 ft
Inscriptions
Location not noted: D.T.&.I.R.R. / 77 / BLT 1925 Location not noted: DT&I Location not noted: BUILT BY / STANDARD STEEL CAR CO. / PITTSBURGH, PA. Location not noted: ATLAS LUBRICATORS / RPKD. D.T.I. / JN. 11-8-72 Location not noted: UNITED STATES / SAFETY APPLIANCES / STANDARD Location not noted: DT&I 77