CB&Q Caboose #13855

The Burlington Caboose is a “cupola” style caboose. The cupola is the raised portion of the roof surrounded by windows.

The caboose is the “home and office on wheels” for the crew. The crew would sit below the cupola looking for dangers such as smoking “hot boxes,” derailments, items falling off the trains or, in the early days, attacks by Native American warriors.

A “hot box” is the term for overheated wheel axels – which, if not properly lubricated, will run fire hot – releasing smoke.

This caboose was built in 1917 and used west of the Missouri River on the mainline CB&Q freight trains until 1957. Also known as “Waycars,” this caboose, #13855 is a wooden-sided with a steel underframe built at Aurora, Illinois, in November 1917.

No. 13855 is a Class NE-8 30-foot wood Waycar of which 95 were built. They were numbered 13924-13830. The cars were numbered downward as they were built, thus Waycar 13924 was built first in December 1915 while the last in the series, #13830, was built in March 1918. It was used in freight service west of the Missouri River until being retired in 1957.