I have been doing some work on Santa Fe CE-5 caboose 999952 (originally 2207)
in Atchison Kansas. As can be seen from the photo below, the car proclaims itself as having been built in 1928. Other sources list the build date as 1949.

Anyone out there know which is correct?

Thanks

Jason Midyette

I'm no expert in Santa Fe cabooses, but could the later date be a rebuild date?

I consider the bible of Santa Fe cabooses to be the Steven/Cynthia Priest book - do you have access to it or have already consulted it? If not, I've got a copy. Just about every individual caboose is documented in it, by class, by number, and where rebuild classes were done from prior classes, clearly identified so you can cross-reference back.

Oh, and it's a six-digit number.... the close-up shots help of the Ce-5 class. It LOOKS LIKE that one right-side window is a sealed window, and it LOOKS LIKE a more modern herald and off-red late paint, but I can't tell if it's cushion draft gear or not - usually the local transfer cabooses didn't get it.

The Ce-1/Ce-2 class rebuilds started about 1966, the Ce-5's a lot later. I'm assuming you're digging from online sources (which are pretty good, but the book is REALLY good.) It looks to me like the Ce-5's were cherry-picked from several earlier classes by individual car number.

For some reason I left 1 "9" out in the topic heading. Caboose in question is ATSF 999952 which was built as ATSF 2207.

Unfortunetley, I do not have a copy of the Santa Fe caboose book. Any chance I could talk you into looking up this car?

Jason Midyette

Hi Jason,

According to the Priest book, the unit was built in 1949 as part of the Ce-5 series by ACF and then rebuilt in the 1970 by the Santa Fe. Pages 113-120 covers the series in total.

DQ

Thank you Dan.

Interestingly, the Santa Fe Historical Society website lists the caboose as being built by the AT&SF's Topeka Shops in 1948 or 1949 (Says that the Topeka Shops built the cabooses 2201 to 2300 in 1948-49).

If 2207 / 999952 was built in February of 1948 (2-48), a simple misplacement of the numbers in the "BLT" stencil now on the car could explain why the car says it was built in April of 1928 (4-28). Otherwise there is no real good reason for the railroad to have stenciled the car as BLT 4-28.

Jason Midyette

According to the Priest book, some of the Ce-5 series was built in 1927 and 1928, but the book specifically states that cabooses (2201-2300) were built in 1949 (p. 115).

Drat, The book states the caboose was built by the ATSF. I missed it earlier. It's not an ACF unit. Sorry about that!

DQ

One thing can confuse people is that Santa Fe was an early purchaser of steel cabooses. By 1931 it had 500 steel cabooses and then did not purchase any more until 1942 and 1949.

series.......Quantity.....builder......Year
1500-1649...150.......ACF ....... 1927
1650-1749...100.......ACF ....... 1928
1750-1874...125.......ACF ....... 1929
1875-1978...104.......ACF ....... 1930
1979-2000...22 ....... ACF ....... 1931
2001-2200 ...100.......Santa Fe....1942
2201-2300...100.......Santa Fe....1949
500-599.......100.......Santa Fe....1949

Information from Caboose Cars of the Santa Fe Railway by Frank M. Ellington, 1998