Caboose
PRR #477866
In 1942, the PRR built the N5c class caboose. Different from the N5 by its round windows, lower belt rail, large streamlined cupola, and no vertical butt strip in its sides. The Pennsylvania Railroad built 169 cars in this class. The caboose was the home away from home for freight train crews, and is where the conductor would keep his office to complete his paperwork and other duties related to train operation. The brakeman would sit in the cupola to observe the train for defects or other issues. Outfitted with bunks, a stove, an icebox, and a toilet, the caboose had everything the crew would need for an overnight stay. As cabooses were phased out in the 1980s, many were placed in storage awaiting scrapping.