Description
Perhaps one of the most recognizable icons of American railroading, the caboose completed the train. Cabooses provided shelter for the rear end crew. From the cupola or bay windows, the crew could keep a lookout for shifting loads, damaged equipment, and overheating axles, this was long required for switching and shunting. As rail cars became larger in the late 1950s and early 1960s, there was a real need for cabooses to have greater visibility for the crew. In the extended-vision or wide-vision caboose, the sides of the cupola project beyond the side of the car body. This model was introduced by the International Car Company and saw service on most U.S. railroads. The expanded cupola allowed the crew to see past the top of the taller cars that began to appear after World War II, and also increased the roominess of the cupola area.
WP's last order of new cabooses came from International Car in 1980. Of the six cars in this order only one of them, #482, had the WP letters printed on each end of the car. All six came with roof-mounted fire cracker style antennas.
WP 481 SERIES FEATURES:
WP 481 Class caboose
Air whistle (Functions in DCC)
Functioning marker and interior lights in DCC
LED LIGHT-EQUIPPED FEATURES:
LED lighting for long life and reliable operation
On-board DCC Decoder by NCE
Operates in DCC and Analog (DC) with lighting functions controllable in DCC
Various classes will feature single or dual roof markers, or end-mount marker lights, per prototype and/or era (not all cars have marker lights)
LED Interior Lights
All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode