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Texas Transportation Museum
11731 Wetmore Road, San Antonio TX 78247
(210) 490-3554

The Longhorn & Western Railroad

Cabooses

caboose

(Click on small images to enlarge)

The Longhorn and Western railroad has four cabooses. Two, the Bay Window and the Party Caboose are in constant use. Another, the Transfer caboose is undergoing a complete mechanical overhaul and will be refurbished as well. We hope to have it operational again before the end of 2002. The fourth, the UP Caboose is our most original. It is still set up inside as it was in its days with the Union Pacific. We hope to begin restoration work on it next year.

MOPAC Transfer Caboose 11919

This is TTM's oldest caboose, but its not quite that simple. It was originally built in 1919 as a box car and was rebuilt into its current configuration as a transfer caboose in 1952. It was operated by the Missouri Pacific RR. This railroad, also known as MOPAC, owned three out of four of the cabooses we have, although we obtained them all from different places. This caboose is currently undergoing a full restoration.

UP Road Caboose 25275

Union Pacific caboose 25275 is our most original caboose. It has a central cupola and has sleeping and sanitary accommodations for its crew. It has an old advertising slogan on the side. "Have Train. Will Travel." It is not currently in service and awaits a full restoration.

MOPAC Offset Cupola Caboose 13430

Former Mopac Caboose 13430 is an offset cupola caboose, originally used by crews on long distance trains. It is very spacious. This caboose is one of the museum's most recent acquisitions. Its interior was converted by its previous owners to serve as a party room. (See pictures in the 'Private Party' section of this site.) It is still fully mobile. We have built steps to improve access. Some of its windows were "removed," probably by MOPAC.

MOPAC Bay Window Caboose 13083

Former MOPAC caboose 13083 is one on the last cabooses ever built. It dates from the 1980's, not long before the use of cabooses was discontinued. It has a bay window style. When we got the caboose, around 1990, it was a burnt out hulk. It has undergone a radical transformation to passenger service, with both interior and exterior seating.

This is, as of 2002, our most frequently used caboose. Work to upgrade the old MOPAC transfer caboose is continuing. Getting this one back into use was one of the best pieces of work ever accomplished by the museum. Not only were its old interior fitting, including a toilet, removed, a job involving much use of steel cutting torches, but its windows were enlarged as well. The interior was repanelled to make the caboose attractive inside and out. Interior and exterior seats were custom built, as were the doors.

As you can see, every once in a while even a rail road with the enviable safety record of the Longhorn & Western will have a mishap or two. Fortunately, at the very low speed allowed on our line, any passengers would have been the last to know the caboose had derailed. Small accidents like this can have beneficial results, and we beefed up our track inspections from once a month to every two weeks. Track work is an ongoing chore for all railroads, not just voluntary ones like ours.

More L & W RR Pages

•TTM Home Page•
•Hours of Operation & Location•

•Locomotives•
•Railroad Carriages;
•Cabooses•
•The Depot•
•Motor Cars•
•Miscellaneous L&W items•