Western Railroad Discussion > Missouri Pacific Caboose

Yesterday I saw a work train making it's way through the Salt Lake Valley at Riverton, Utah. Much to my surprise, at the tail end was a caboose! Missouri Pacific bright red, complete with MP number, logo, etc. My question is, how many of these are still operating on UP? MoPac merged into UP in 1982, so I can't believe what I saw.

Jim Belmont

There's a couple (2 or 3) in Seattle, they look like they're used while loading and unloading the rail ferry. It's on Harbor Island, they looked like they might have been in captive service there for a long time. They are nice little cabeese, with a small cabin and huge porches (designed for a milder climate?), I peered in the window and there was a good little stove and some nice reclining seats with seatbelts.

Those are the only ones I've ever seen (April 2001), and I lived on the UP in Utah from '86 to '96

Ted in BC

Here are some that work Harbor Island in Seattle...

I believe the long porches were for good vision when shoving. UP uses a MP caboose daily on a rock train that dumps rock along side the Salt Lake causeway.

There is an MP cbse parked on the UP Ft. Collins branch just across the Poudre River and north of the BNSF crossing. I think that is still active, possibly used when they switch the cement plant north of town.

Most if not all of these 13xxx series bay window cabooses were built by MP at their DeSoto, MO carshop back in the late 1970's and early 1980's. They would be built as shells and primered, then shipped out to the former passenger car shop (and before that, steam locomotive shop) at Sedalia, MO for outfitting and painting. We used to see them come through St.Louis all the time that way. Very few cabooses ever got renumbered or repainted after the MP-UP merger, 'cause that was about the time that cabooses were on their way out as road equipment.

While I don't know how many of the "Party Barges" are still active, these cabs are a favorite of the UP for locals and work trains. In fact, twelve were rebuilt and painted MofW green for work trains. Most locals that still command a caboose, like the Mukogee to Tulsa, and the Van Buren/Fort Smith jobs still rated these cabs the last times saw them. One possible reason is the relative young age for these cars. Also they are very spartan and light weight.

KK