Caboose
PRR #980765
This Caboose likely belonged to a later series of steel cabooses built by the PRR, most likely a Class N5. The N5, introduced in 1914, was the industry's first all-steel caboose. The PRR produced several variations of the N5, such as the N5a, N5b, and N5c. The N5c featured porthole windows and a streamlined cupola due to wartime restrictions impacting its design and production in the early 1940s. PRR cabooses were often called "cabin cars" and served as a lookout, office, and temporary home for the train crew at the rear of freight trains. They contained bunks, a stove, an icebox, and a toilet. Cabooses were largely phased out from active service beginning in the 1980s due to technological advancements like electronic monitoring systems and End of Train Devices (EOTs).