Extended Vision Caboose 'Chesapeake & Ohio' #3203 by MTH Electric Trains

Prior to railroads, 'caboose' denoted a compact galley on a sailing ship's deck. Around the 1850s, the first railroad caboose emerged, offering train crews weather protection. The Civil War era saw the rise of boxcar-like cabin cars, equipped with doors, windows, heating stoves, bunks, and roof lanterns. Cabooses became common in the 1870s, and cupolas, initially called 'lookouts' or 'observatories,' gained prominence in the late 1880s. By the early 1900s, the cupola caboose's final form was established, persisting until their demise in the 1980s. Meanwhile, freight cars grew longer and taller, making crew observation challenging. The bay window and extended vision cabooses addressed this, with the latter combining bay window width and cupola height. Our model showcases the International Car Company's 1953 extended vision caboose, produced for two decades and used coast-to-coast. This caboose was part of the post-WWII shift towards standardized, mass-produced designs.

• Train Line: Chesapeake & Ohio
• Car Number: 3203
• Product Series: RailKing
• Model Scale: O Gauge