Today, cabooses are not used by American railroads, but before the 1980s, every train ended in a caboose, usually painted red, but sometimes painted in colors which matched the engine at the front of the train. The purpose of the caboose was to provide a rolling office for the train's conductor and the brakemen.

Why are cabooses no longer used?

Today, thanks to computer technology and economic necessity, cabooses no longer follow America's trains. The major railroads have discontinued their use, except on some short-run freight and maintenance trains. ... Railroad companies say the device accomplishes everything the caboose did-but cheaper and better.

When was the caboose discontinued?

Cabooses were used on every freight train in the United States until the 1980s, when safety laws requiring the presence of cabooses and full crews were relaxed.