The banshee wail of a whistle splits the still summer air. Baseballs are swapped for bikes and we're flying down the dirt road to the crossing. Breathless, we wave to the engineer as the steamer puffs past. Minutes later the bright red caboose rumbles into view, a sharp contrast to the brown box cars and black hoppers in the rest of the train. This time we wave to the crewman in the cupola and wish we could trade places! For over 100 years no freight train was complete without a caboose bringing up the rear. To crews they were known as way cars, vans, cabins, buggies, hacks, crummies and dozens of other colorful nicknames. On the road, they served as office, hotel, restaurant and observation post for the conductor and flagman. Walthers brings back the glory days of the caboose with this all-new model, based on wood-bodied cars of the 1920s fitted with stronger, safer steel underframes. Many cabooses of this era soldiered on into the 1970s so the models are the perfect compliment to your favorite steam or diesel power. Each plastic model comes fully assembled, ready for the road. Most lines owned hundreds of similar cars, so decorated models are available as 2-Packs and Single cars with three different numbers to expand your fleet in minutes. All are complete with detailed interiors, separately applied "wood" roofwalks, window glazing and molded end ladders. Optional wire grab irons are included for superdetailing and molded starter points simplify drilling. Leaf spring arch-bar trucks and working knuckle couplers complete the realistic detail.