Cupolas On Model Train Cabooses

January 5, 2006

Model railroading has some unusual terms that can be somewhat confusing to anyone new to the hobby. One such railroading term is the word “Cupola”. It sounds complex but it is really very simple and a clever invention.

The Cupola is box-like Crow’s Nest structure raised above the roof of a caboose for visibility along the train while it is in motion.

In 1898, T. B. Watson wrote “During the ’60s I was a conductor on the C&NW. One day late in the summer of 1863 I received orders to give my caboose to the conductor of a construction train and take an empty boxcar to use as a caboose. This car happened to have a hole in the roof about two feet square. I stacked the lamp and tool boxes under the perforation end and sat with my head and shoulders above the roof… (Later) I suggested putting a box around the hole with glass in, so I could have a pilot house to sit in and watch the train.”

Cupolas were first built into cabooses around 1875 and became permanent fixtures until 1949.