Santa Fe Drover/Combine/ Caboose 2312

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe) shops at Cleburne, Texas, south of Fort Worth, built 10, all-steel, 47-foot drover “cabooses” in 1931 to accommodate stockman who accompanied cattle shipments. Initially, the cars were numbered D930-D939. In 1941 five of these cars were modified with the addition of a baggage compartment and baggage doors, and the cars were renumbered 2310-2314. 

 

Used as a passenger car on local mixed freight/passenger trains, usually on branch lines and secondary mainlines, the museum’s 2312 is a coach, caboose and mail car commonly referred to as a “combine.” Very few examples have been preserved and Santa Fe 2312 is a rarity. Restoration of 2312 began in 2025.

 

Initially, 2312 was outfitted with a curtain that separated the passenger seats into two sections. This was done by Santa Fe to comply with state Jim Crow laws where the railroad operated. Jim Crow laws in various forms were enacted in 34 states across the U.S. starting at the end of the Civil War in 1865. They were meant to provide “separate but equal” accommodations for both white and black Americans. They existed until the passage by Congress of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act, which were both signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. 

 

The 1954 Kansas Brown vs. Board of Education case heard by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) determined state-sponsored segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This was a major case that helped to eventually end Jim Crow laws. Many railroads configured passenger cars to comply with state Jim Crow laws.

 

The museum has two models of this type of car on display in the upstairs area. One is a drover and the other a combination (combine) passenger/baggage version. Museum staff will be happy to explain the differences.

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