There are brackets on each end of the caboose that the markers can be set in. The markers were stored inside when the caboose was not in use. They put on the whichever end was at the rear when on a train. So, based on the pictures that show the brackets on both ends, the RR ran them either way. As someone mentioned, they would not waste the time and money to turn them (time is money in a business).
As modelers we all have favorite looks and often times cater to them, we are looking at aesthetics, not the bottom line at the end of the month.
