CABOOSE

A caboose is a manned American or Canadian rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train.

Cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train. Until the 1980s, laws in the United States and Canada required all freight trains to have a caboose and a full crew, for safety. Technology eventually advanced such that the railroads (called railways in Canada), in an effort to save money and reduce crew members, stated that a caboose was unnecessary and their use has since declined; they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads, or for aesthetic purposes