Like most pieces of railroad equipment, this caboose was shaped in part by regulatory requirements - in this case, a proposed Pennsylvania law requiring cabooses on through freights to be 8-wheeled and at least 24' long. Based on a wood-sheathed 1920 USRA design, this steel caboose was a 1924 Reading Company design that became so widespread in the mid-Atlantic region that railfans dubbed it the Northeastern Caboose.
Besides the Reading, original owners included the Western Maryland, Lehigh Valley, Central Railroad of New Jersey and several other lines. Through mergers and acquisitions, these "crummies" eventually found themselves in new paint schemes ranging from Chessie System yellow to Conrail blue. Later in life, many went to second and third owners as far afield as Maine, Ohio, Iowa, and Louisiana.
High quality, traditionally sized RailKing Freight Cars provide detailed bodies and colorful paint schemes for the O Gauge railroader. MTH makes an enormous variety of RailKing Freight Cars, including many different car types and roadnames. No matter what era or part of the country you are modeling, RailKing is sure to have something for you.
