When you live in the eastern United States and think of cabooses, a couple come directly to mind. The unique Pennsy N5C is one and the other is likely the “Northeastern” type center coupla caboose. These cabooses were the most commonly found in the eastern US with most railroads owning at least a couple. The Reading Company built almost 300 of these cabooses for their own use starting in 1924. They also sold them either assembled or in kit form to many other northeastern railroads. They served their original owners so well that they lasted long into railroads like Conrail, but were mostly phased out in the early 1980s, then being sold to shortline and tourist operators or scrapped. There are some, however, that live on at the Class 1 railroads to this day, most notably CNW 261531, a former Lehigh Valley car that still works in Union Pacific work train service.