A caboose is the last car on a freight train, where the train crew used to ride while watching over the long line of cargo cars ahead. Picture a small, boxy railroad car, often painted bright red, with windows on all sides and a little cupola (a raised section) on top where crew members could sit and see the entire train.

For over a century, the caboose was essential. Conductors and brakemen rode in the caboose, keeping watch for problems like overheating wheels, shifting cargo, or broken couplings. They had bunks for sleeping on long trips, a stove for heating and cooking, and desks for paperwork. The caboose was their mobile office and home.

By the 1980s, new technology replaced the need for cabooses. Electronic sensors could detect the problems that crew members once watched for, and modern locomotives had room for the entire crew up front. Today, you'll rarely see a working caboose, though many sit in parks or museums as reminders of railroad history.