Wow - what model train operating layout would be complete without a caboose or three? Cabooses were a fixture on railroads everywhere for over a century, before modern electronics came along and made them obsolete. Besides being a lookout for the back of the train, they served as home base for the train crew, which could be half a dozen people or more.

Common types of cabooses include the standard 'cupola' caboose, the 'bay windows' caboose, and the 'extended vision' caboose. And no... they're not all red. But you've gotta have at least one red one!