{"nrhp_refnum":"78000352","name":"Yosemite Valley Railroad Caboose No. 15","other_names":["Caboose No. 15"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"CA 140","address_restricted":false,"city":"El Portal","county":"Mariposa County","state":"CA","lat":37.67504579800004,"lon":-119.78038112399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A wooden short-line railroad freight caboose, the second Yosemite Valley Railroad Caboose No. 15, displayed at El Portal, Mariposa County, California, within the site of the railroad's historic yard. It is about 28 feet long, with a cupola and rounded roofs, and it entered railroad service around 1922.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it has local historical significance in transportation as one of the last two surviving cabooses of the Yosemite Valley Railroad, which operated until 1945. It is also a particularly fine example of a short-line railroad caboose, well proportioned and well built, and basically unaltered from its service days.","narrative":"A wooden freight caboose at El Portal, California, recalls the Yosemite Valley Railroad, which ran between Merced and El Portal until it was abandoned and scrapped in 1945 and 1946. This is the railroad's second Caboose No. 15, added to the roster about 1922, though its earlier origins are unknown. It measures just over 28 feet long and has vertical plank siding, a cupola for lookouts, gently rounded roofs, and benches that could serve as bunks. Crews used it to carry the conductor and brakemen on freight trains and as a mobile office for paperwork. Sold in 1946 to a Santa Barbara owner, it later hosted railroad club meetings before the National Park Service bought it in 1961 and moved it to El Portal for an exhibit. It was listed as one of the last two surviving cabooses of the line and as a fine example of a short-line caboose. Its significance covers the exterior, interior and furnishings.","period_of_significance":"c. 1922 - 1945","architect_builder":"Builder unknown (builder's plate is missing)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and basically unaltered, except for replaced wheels and possibly other truck parts. It is exhibited at El Portal as part of a Yosemite National Park transportation history display and is owned by the National Park Service.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.296426-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/78000352.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000352/bda2c61dc2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000352/bda2c61dc2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Wearsunscreen","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yosemite_Valley_Railroad_Caboose_No._15.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Wearsunscreen</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yosemite_Valley_Railroad_Caboose_No._15.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859785","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q96973742"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/mariposa-county/yosemite-valley-railroad-caboose-no-15-78000352/"}