Front:
RR Caboose 1890s
USA 11c
CO
TUMBER
IL
ROSEMO
FEB
3.
3 Locomotive 1870s
1984USA 2c I
MBEP
Sp018
Back:
At the end of an arduous day of logging, a small team
of lumbermen make their way to the back of a lengthy
row of railroad cars that are heavily laden with freshly-cut
timber. Finally reaching the end of the train, the tired
men come to a wooden, box-shaped railroad car ... the
caboose. Here they stow their equipment, rest from their
long day's labor, cook their meals, and ride as the
locomotive pulls the heavy load to the sawmill. Such
was the use of some of the very early railroad
cabooses ... the first of which came into being in the
1840's on the famed New York Railway. It was a primi-
tive, wooden box built on a flatbed railroad car, used
primarily as a shelter for the railroad crew. Ever since
the initial appearance of this first early model, the
caboose has become a regular sight along the railways
of America and of the world. To honor the advent of the
railroad caboose in America, the United States Postal
Service issued the stamp that is featured on the front of
this Maximum Card.
No. 84-10
©1984 The Maximum Card Collection
A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
Original painting by Richard Simms.
