Hello,

This caboose and business car are located at a private residence just west of Norris, Illinois. I have talked to several people and researched as much as I could to figure out their heritage but have turned up almost nothing. Even the owner does not know what railroad(s) they came from. There is some speculation that the caboose may be from the Milwaukee Road, but the business car is a complete mystery.

Norris is located on a now-abandoned Chicago, Burlington & Quincy line, and both cars were reportedly delivered by Burlington Northern and trucked from downtown to the residence. I have a feeling the business car may be ex-CB&Q but I'm not sure.

If anyone has information about them, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Thomas

Did you look at the truck frames on the cars. Many railroad back in the day, had letters cast in the truck frames.

Here's a nice profile shot of said caboose, Trainkid, which offers a bit more detail...

https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-waymarking- ... 6ed30e.JPG

This link proves nothing but the Milw Rd connection looks promising in comparison to this one in link? Regards, John.

https://www.midcontinent.org/equipment- ... oad-01524/

"Captive Cabeese in America" lists the caboose as "MILW?"

The business car looks almost like the NYC "Central Plateau" in Cisco, IL.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=5293425

Some roads stamped the car number on the top of the wooden window frames. If you can remove one of the windows from the caboose it may be stamped rhere.

The OBS is hands down a Pullman 3-2 Lounge Observation. Plan 3959. Unmodified 3-2s are not business cars in any way or form, though many were sold to the railroads and subsequently converted to business cars.

If you have any interior photos of the 3-2, or photos of the other side of the 3-2, it would help greatly in identifying its plan, and hopefully narrowing down the name of the car as well as its subsequent heritage.

Thanks for all of the responses. I inquired about this car on Facebook as well and received a response that it's likely Pullman's "Crystal Bay," which was sold to Paulsen Spence's Louisiana Eastern Railroad in 1956. I have no way to confirm this, but perhaps someone here knows a little more about the Crystal Bay and could confirm if it is this car or not.

I looked at some surviving Pullman databases and found that this car could also be the Crystal Beach, which was later sold to the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern. Based on everything I've found so far and what people are saying, I think it's safe to say it's one of the two.

Thomas