Lake Owen Caboose

The caboose sitting next to the Lake Owen Trailhead was donated by David Durbano of the Wyo/Colo Railroad. It is “armor yellow” with the original Great Western wording on the side.  It was rolled down the track from Fox Park just before the rail was removed from the route around 1999.  A short segment of rail remains where the caboose now sits.

Cabooses met their demise when automation no longer required so many workers on the moving train. The last car on today’s trains has a flashing rear-end device, or FRED, so flaggers and brightly colored cabooses are no longer needed. The FRED is coupled to the train’s air brake line and information from the back of the train is transmitted to the engineer.

While the days of riding a caboose at the end of a line of railcars are over, hopping aboard a stationary caboose is possible. Many cabooses have been gutted and refurbished but the one at Lake Owen in the Medicine Bow National Forest maintains the original design. Along its length are three beds, an oil heater, sink, toilet and desk. While the heater, sink and toilet are no longer usable, it doesn’t take much imagination to picture what life was like when the caboose was actually in use, rolling down the rail.

A future plan of both the Trail Crew and personnel with the Medicine Bow National Forest is to have the caboose available for overnight rental. The only other “caboose cabin” that is available for rent within the National Forest system is one in Alaska.

The Caboose after the Mullen Fire

It is with much disappointment to find the caboose, as shown above, was hit hard by the Mullen Fire.  Externally it is singed, and internally it is gutted.  Sadly, it will be removed in the summer of 2023.