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Caboose Preservation/Restoration
http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=34378
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Author:  BigBruce [ Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Caboose Preservation/Restoration

Hey! I'm new on here. I was wondering if anyone can give me some information about how to preserve/ restore a caboose. Are there grants out there to be able to get the caboose moved to a better location from where it is currently? Any and all information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Author:  car57 [ Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Caboose Preservation/Restoration

Hi Bruce,
Glad to see you on here, there really arent many grants available and the 501 regulations make it far more difficult to become one nowadays, i funded all our moves with help from friends but mainly my own money (of which i have almost nothing) I have a great housemover guy who is sympathetic and builds my frames for me and does moves and lets me pay him back...thats a great thing to try and find.
The move of UP 2516 cost $2000 inc the frame work, permits would have increased that by about $100.
We have had generous donations of parts and items towards the restoration from ex employees and families of deceased railroaders anxious and happy to see the caboose preserved.
Car 57 cost a lot more as it was much heavier (14 tons) and was the first move my housemover had tried with a railroad car, it cost $9,000 but the hospital who were going to demolish the car paid for that the CEO was a nice and understanding man who soon after got fired and replaced by a doctor who thought car57 was a streetcar from Greeley !
So making friends with people is vital, spreading the word is also vital, give some talks to local groups of people like womans groups, retired employee groups and the like its amazing what comes from these.
Let me know more about the project if possible !

Thanks

Mike Pannell

Author:  Joe Nugent [ Mon Jan 14, 2013 2:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Caboose Preservation/Restoration

Bruce,

We purchased a caboose from a scrap yard about a year ago. The cost of the car was $8,000. We also spent $1,200 on trucking and $2,800 on crane services, bringing the total initial cost to $12,000. The funds were raised through an online fundraiser.

The caboose is now under restoration at our museum. We expect to spend another $8,000 on the restoration. Most of this work will be done with volunteer labor over the course of 2 to 3 years. It's a pay-as-you-go type project. (It does not rely on existing museum funds.) In short, we are: building all new windows and doors, replacing steel side panels, replacing bad sections of floor and lower walls, sandblasting, priming, painting, and taking care of some minor mechanical issues. (Not to mention air brake valve rebuilds and a COTS.) Our caboose will be operable, so the mechanical details are important.

A lot will depend on your resources and capabilities.

Blog posts regarding our caboose:

http://rgvrrm.blogspot.com/2011/09/help ... alley.html
http://rgvrrm.blogspot.com/2011/10/touc ... 95100.html
http://rgvrrm.blogspot.com/2011/11/air- ... 95100.html
http://rgvrrm.blogspot.com/2012/01/lv-9 ... -shop.html
http://rgvrrm.blogspot.com/2012/01/look ... ation.html
http://rgvrrm.blogspot.com/2012/02/exte ... ehigh.html
http://rgvrrm.blogspot.com/2012/03/help ... ehigh.html

Good luck!

Author:  car57 [ Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Caboose Preservation/Restoration

Sorry Bruce here is a link to UP 2516 restoration.

http://car57.zenfolio.com/p940861892

and facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Caboose- ... 552775735#

Mike

Author:  BigBruce [ Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Caboose Preservation/Restoration

Thanks for the information. It will take some work to do for the ole' caboose, but we will just have to see how things go.

Attachments:
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Author:  JR May [ Mon Jan 14, 2013 10:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Caboose Preservation/Restoration

Bruce:
NRHS has an annual grant program which is available now via the NRHS web page and if you search RyPN you will find a recent thread on a new foundation. Again, though, being a 501c is probably key.

By the looks of the one picture you have posted the caboose seems to be in decent condition, especially the lower side sheets.

In 2012 I spent a good deal of time researching what types of paint to use on a steel PRR cab that I am working on. Feel free to send me an email (jrmay@monmouth.com) and I can give you some pointers.

J.R.

Author:  robertmacdowell [ Tue Jan 15, 2013 6:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Caboose Preservation/Restoration

BigBruce wrote:
Hey! I'm new on here. I was wondering if anyone can give me some information about how to preserve/ restore a caboose. Are there grants out there to be able to get the caboose moved to a better location from where it is currently? Any and all information would be greatly appreciated.

The first thing you gotta address is responsibility. Do you really have "what it takes" to grant this unit a home? If you don't, then it's time to get serious and put it down. As I am rather sick of hearing: "you can't save everything".

OK, the second thing you gotta address is ownership. Do you want to OWN IT? Or do you want it held by an organization whose job is to care for it?

#1 nonprofit. This is where you cannot personally profit from the enterprise, and when I say that I am referring to money. You're allowed to have all the fun you want. Once you make that deal, it means your dollars which you contribute to the venture go 60-80% farther, depending on your tax bracket, because you support is tax deductible. Lots of other people's dollars too, as it is easier to fundraise, precisely because gifts are tax deductible.

Now, how do you structure it. Two ways off the top of my head. a) you take shelter under an existing nonprofit, in which they sponsor your project or organization. Or b) you run the gauntlet to become a 501(c)(3) yourself, which is a bit harder than it used to be, but still totally achievable, especially for something as linear as a caboose museum. Just be real curious and explore every term-of-art that you see in the nonprofit application... understand what the IRS is talking about and why they care. And then you can answer their questions properly.

#2. For-profit / hobby venture. Not tax deductible but still possible to fundraise, thanks to the insane magic of web sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, which solicit donations for entities which do not qualify for nonprofit status, and amazingly, people pay into them! In this case, somebody gets to "own" the thing, with all the ups and downs of ownership, have that taken in a lawsuit or bankruptcy, or liquidated by their estate after their death. If you want perpetuity set up an LLC or corporation.

To revisit that financial issue, let's say I stay late at work and earn an extra $200 for the cause. How much sticks?
Minus 6.35% FICA tax = $12.70
Minus 28% Federal tax = $56.00
Minus 8% state tax = $16.00
Minus 6% state sales tax on the items bought = $6.53

For a FOR-PROFIT, the actual buying power of my $200 is $108.77.
For a NON-PROFIT, the actual buying power of my $200 is $187.30. (can't avoid FICA).
The non-profit gets 72% more of your money.

For higher wage earners it's similar, because FICA goes away, but there are higher tax brackets.

Author:  Mr.Pullman [ Sat Jan 19, 2013 10:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Caboose Preservation/Restoration

Hello Bruce, Welcome to the Private Caboose Owners club!

You’re in for a ride for sure, I've been helping preserve railroad equipment since I was in High school and after owning a number of passenger cars I presently find myself restoring a Caboose. I've always liked cabooses and it was only natural that I would own one of my own. I've attached images of my caboose showing how it looked when I bought it in 2006 and more recently while it was being media blasted in 2012 and an image of it shortly after receiving its first coat of 2-part epoxy primer also in 2012.

Image

Image

Image

I bought my Caboose for a little above scrap value at the time for $5500 and had it relocated in town (Roanoke VA) to a private siding. At the time I was deployed with the US Navy in the Pacific in Okinawa Japan. One of my friends back in Roanoke told me that a group of Cabooses were marked as surplus and would soon be sent to scrap and asked if I would like one, I ask how much and said sure, please pick me out a Good One! I arranged payment from Japan and it was moved to a storage location where it sat till I separated from the Navy in late 2007 and returned to my home town of Roanoke VA after many years living overseas. It was a year till I was able to see it in person!

Well after having it in storage since late 2006 restoration slowly started in 2011 and has progressed to present day. This coming season we look to complete the exterior paint and lettering and reinstall all the windows that are now fully rebuilt with full FRA part 223 glazing! That's right all 22 windows have been rebuilt with all new glass up to FRA standards, (Most people don't bother with this) though this caboose will remain on active track and will be making moves on the National rail system to special events and museums. The cost of maintaining the glass standard for all the windows was around $3500 for the glass alone. As for the paint job each primer coat is roughly $1000 for both paint a labor. The lettering quote on final project is currently quoted at right around $1000, all said in done buying the caboose painting and lettering it will run me around $12,500, this doesn't include the interior restoration and setting up the mechanical and electrical systems, to include but not limited to mounting genset, propane tank, layout and installing all new electrical and water systems as well as the rest of the new interior. While my caboose rebuild is just one example everyone’s caboose experience will be different depending on the scope of your project and end need or use.

I would like to consider my caboose project an exterior restoration and an interior rebuild, as I'm working to as accurately as possible to restore the outside of my caboose to it's as delivered Dec. 1969 look and then take liberties to make the inside of the caboose as usable and user friendly as possible while still maintaining a railroad feel and quality with respect to materials and fittings.

Please feel free to contact me as I and my friends have experience in saving, moving and restoring equipment and I'll do what I can to answer your questions and provide the support you can use to help you in enjoying your caboose and preservation project.

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