Today, I’d like to share a quiet, low-key topic. Do caboose cars still run on railways in your country? In Japan, they are extremely rare. They remained in operation until 1984, but today they have almost completely disappeared.
Take a look at the photo above. Here it is—Unit Yo 14740 of the 5000 series caboose. It was originally built in the 1950s as part of the Japanese National Railways’ Yo 3500 series. In the 1960s, it was modified into the Yo 5000 series, featuring a two-stage link-type suspension system designed for smoother, faster operation. After roughly 30 years of service, it was retired around 1984, when caboose cars were largely abolished. Today, Yo 14740 is preserved in Setagaya Park, Tokyo.
When I was a child, I often saw cabooses on the Tokaido Line, coupled to the end of freight trains. The job of conductors aboard these cars might have seemed easy—they didn’t have to operate passenger doors or make announcements. In reality, they were kept busy ordering the coupling and uncoupling of each freight car at stations and writing reports while on the move. A potbelly coal stove was installed, but it must still have been cold in winter (see the photo below). It looks like it was an uncomfortable ride.
The Japanese freight system has changed significantly. Before 1984, freight trains often stopped at stations to couple and uncouple cars. Today, freight trains mostly run directly between terminals, improving efficiency.
Yo 14740—thank you for your decades of service. Now you rest, preserved as a silent witness to Japan’s railway history.
