| The sign reads: Caboose No. 3235, built in April 1969 by the International Car Company of Kenton, Ohio, entered C&O Railroad Service at Hinton, WV. The Chessie System acquired and repainted it in May 1976. Through the concerted effort of Jay C. Baer and the Meyersdale Historical Society, the caboose was places on this site in May 1996. The caboose traditionally carried a conductor, a brakeman, and a flagman. The conductor used the caboose to complete necessary paperwork; the brakeman climbed from the caboose to the top of each train car, using a tool to slow or stop the train, and the flagman placed signals at the rear of the stopped train to warn approaching trains. Cupolas were added after the Civil War to provide improved visibility along the train. Trainmen watched for smoke from overheated wheel journals termed "hotboxes. The old-time caboose was equipped with a stove for cooking and heating, bunks for rest, and a desk for conductors business. Often the crew decorated their "home away from home" with curtains and pictures. By the 1950s the caboose had been electrified, and by the 1960s steel bodied cars replaced wooden cars. Today the caboose has fallen out of use, but the little car at the end of the train will remain a beloved American icon. |