Former MOPAC caboose 13083 is one on the last cabooses ever built. It dates from the 1980's, not long before the use of cabooses was discontinued. It has a bay window style. When we got the caboose, around 1990, it was a burnt out hulk. It has undergone a radical transformation to passenger service, with both interior and exterior seating.

This is, as of 2002, our most frequently used caboose. Work to upgrade the old MOPAC transfer caboose is continuing. Getting this one back into use was one of the best pieces of work ever accomplished by the museum. Not only were its old interior fitting, including a toilet, removed, a job involving much use of steel cutting torches, but its windows were enlarged as well. The interior was re-paneled to make the caboose attractive inside and out. Interior and exterior seats were custom built, as were the doors.

As you can see, every once in a while even a rail road with the enviable safety record of the Longhorn & Western will have a mishap or two. Fortunately, at the very low speed allowed on our line, any passengers would have been the last to know the caboose had derailed. Small accidents like this can have beneficial results, and we beefed up our track inspections from once a month to every two weeks. Track work is an ongoing chore for all railroads, not just voluntary ones like ours.