Many of the caboose windows were covered with steel plates. The Federal Railroad Administration required windows to be bulletproof to protect occupants from flying objects.  The requirement went into effect June 30, 1980 for new cabooses, and all existing cabooses needed to be retrofitted by June 30, 1984.  The GBW, like many railroads, opted to simply plate over non-essential windows instead of using the expensive bulletproof glass.

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