The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway was jointly owned by the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railways. This caboose was built by the Northern Pacific at its Brainard, MN shops, and is equipped with an oil fired heater and axle driven electrical system.

You will remember from previous Treasures at MOT, the caboose was the home away from home for the train crew and also served as the office of the conductor who is in charge of each freight train. The cupola atop the car was the 'watch tower' of the train. When it was in operation the conductor or brakeman sat in the cupola watching to see that the train was running satisfactorily. Cabooses are no longer used in modern train service having been replaced by End of Train (EOT) devices. The conductor's office is now in the locomotive cab.

After the Burlington Northern merge #884 became #11436 and was donated in 1983 by the Burlington Northern Railroad.