The Caboose.  It used to be a common sight on railroads and one of the more memorable pieces of equipment on rails.  the home-away-from-home of the conductor and brakemen, the caboose served as living quarters, equipment storage, and a mobile office for train crews for over a century of railroad history.

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The caboose today is a fondly-remembered piece of history and our own example is no different.  Caboose #1208 served on the rails of South Dakota for many years.  Constructed in 1947 for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad, the "Tootin' Louie" as it was affectionately called, caboose #1208 was one of fifty-six cabooses of this design which ran the rails of the M&StL.  In 1960, the M&StL was bought up by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and caboose #1208 was given new livery and paint.  The caboose continued to serve crews well through most of the 1960s before being retired from the roster in 1970.

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A resident of Huron, South Dakota, Jeanne Bauder, found out that one of the cabooses her father rode in was going to be scrapped soon.  She managed to save #1208 from the scrapper's torch and brought the little waycar home where it was restored and maintained from 1971 until 2016.  Seeking a new home for the caboose, Jeanne contacted then-director Rick Mills of the South Dakota State Railroad Museum about rehoming the caboose.

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In 2017, the caboose was moved from Huron to the museum where it was restored and sits on permanent display.  Unlike most rail cars, caboose #1208 is fully open and visitors to the museum are encouraged to walk through it where they can get a glimpse of the life of a railroad conductor.