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 Post subject: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 2:21 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:07 pm
Posts: 705
In 1949 Monongahela Railway bought 10 steel cabooses from International Car Co., Kenton, OH. They were MGA's only steel cabooses. Several have been preserved, but a couple are missing in action. Here's what I know of the 10 cars:

64 preserved by National Pike Steam, Gas & Horse Assn., West Brownsville, PA. (Was red/white/blue 1975 on)
65 on display at Larry's Truck Electric Co. HQ, Warren, OH
66 was preserved by Donora (PA) Borough, but cut up 6/6/91
67 donated to Smithsonian, stored at PA RR Museum, Strasburg.
68 donated to Kenova RR Museum, Kenova, WV (still around?)
69 missing
70 missing
71 preserved by Brownsville Borough, display next to US 40
72 privately owned, Washington, PA, Judson Building Supply Co.
73 preserved by Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, Washington, PA

65, 67, and 71 at least were repainted red after being green on MGA.
69 and 70 may have been sold to an equipment dealer at New Castle Jct, PA c. 1990. 64, 68, 71, and 73 were last in use 1991, displaced by three ex-CNW bay window cabooses MGA 901-903.

If you can shed any light, please do. Thanks.


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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 7:37 pm 

Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 11:35 am
Posts: 332
Location: Cortez, CO 81321
Hi,

The car at Larry's, Warren, OH, has been reported to me as MGA 66 but that could be an error for MGA 65?

MGA 70 and a second NH style MGA caboose are at Clark's Photo Express, 336 E. Washington St., New Castle, PA.

Were these 10 cabooses built new for MGA or were they refurbished New Haven cars as some say?

Cheers, Roger

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S. Roger Kirkpatrick, Cortez, CO - Gateway to Mesa Verde National Park


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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 7:39 pm 

Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 11:35 am
Posts: 332
Location: Cortez, CO 81321
There are 4 MGA steel caboose photos at: http://cencalrails.railfan.net/cabooseMNO.html .

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S. Roger Kirkpatrick, Cortez, CO - Gateway to Mesa Verde National Park


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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:58 am 

Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:07 pm
Posts: 705
I may have the fates of MGA cabooses 65 and 66 reversed. I'm having a friend check the one still existing at Warren, OH. The old number is still visible on the ends above the door.

The presence of two ex-MGA cabooses at New Castle, PA almost assures that they are MGA 69 and 70, last known to have been sold to a used equipment dealer that operated out of the former P&LE roundhouse at New Castle Jct. around the time the cars were sold, c.1990.

These cars were most definitely NOT rebuilt cars from anywhere else, but were built new for MGA. The trucks have MRY 6/49 cast in the sideframes and I've seen the paperwork in MGA files on their purchase in 1949.

Thanks for the feedback, Roger......

Dave Hamley

PS: Pennsylvania Trolley Museum will be stripping and repainting our MGA 73 in the near future. Since all other "restored" cars from this series were repainted red, ours will retain the 1980s MGA green scheme with the big red M logo.


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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:30 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
David H. Hamley wrote:
I may have the fates of MGA cabooses 65 and 66 reversed. I'm having a friend check the one still existing at Warren, OH. The old number is still visible on the ends above the door.

Thanks for the feedback, Roger......

Dave Hamley

PS: Pennsylvania Trolley Museum will be stripping and repainting our MGA 73 in the near future. Since all other "restored" cars from this series were repainted red, ours will retain the 1980s MGA green scheme with the big red M logo.


Dave and Roger -

I wonder if this caboose might be one of the unaccounted-for Monongahela cabooses:

http://cencalrails.railfan.net/cwp&s207srkcoll.jpg

Compare it to #66 here:

http://cencalrails.railfan.net/monongahela66srkcoll.jpg

Chicago, West Pullman & Southern 207 may well have been purchased used from somewhere. It is a very interesting caboose in that I have photographs of it with the same white band but in red (BEFORE the blue scheme) and in green (AFTER the blue scheme). My photo of it in blue is when it had faded quite badly and was actually a very light shade (what I call "baby" blue). I have kind of lost track of #207 and I am not sure if it is still in existance or not. Does anyone know?

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 4:44 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:07 pm
Posts: 705
The MGA cabooses were a standard International Car Co model, also owned by NH, NYSW, Clinchfield, and perhaps others. CWPS 207 has different trucks, but otherwise looks to be the same model. If Roger's data on MGA 69 and 70 is still current, then the only one of the ten cars unaccounted for is 68. Went to Kenova RR Museum in WV in 1991, but I can find no info on that museum via Google.


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 Post subject: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:04 pm 

Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 11:35 am
Posts: 332
Location: Cortez, CO 81321
Hi David,

I last visited the New Castle cabooses in 6/03 but a fellow caboose nut visited them at the address I listed in late '07 or early '08.

The last time I saw MGA 68 it was stored at the Kanawha River Terminals RR's Ceredo Dock Yard, Main St. at A St., Ceredo, WV. I don't recall the date but it was post 1988 and pre 1998. My best *guess* would narrow this down to post 1990 and pre 1996.

Cheers, Roger

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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 12:38 am 

Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 11:35 am
Posts: 332
Location: Cortez, CO 81321
There are photos of MGA 64, 65, 67, 68, 71, & 73 at:
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/mcrr/mcrr.html .

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S. Roger Kirkpatrick, Cortez, CO - Gateway to Mesa Verde National Park


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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:44 am 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
David H. Hamley wrote:

PS: Pennsylvania Trolley Museum will be stripping and repainting our MGA 73 in the near future. Since all other "restored" cars from this series were repainted red, ours will retain the 1980s MGA green scheme with the big red M logo.


David -

I'm a bit confused about something. You state that the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum will be stripping and repainting MGA 73 into the green scheme with the big red M logo. Yet all of the color photos on this thread show the green cabooses with a big YELLOW M logo, except for one photo of #73 with a red M at the museum. Even then there seems to be an "in-service" photo of 73 with a yellow M. Did the railroad use yellow as the paint for the M at one time and then switch to red?

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:11 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:07 pm
Posts: 705
Les (and others): Your confusion over the color of the "M" on the MGA caboose logo is understandable. When they did the first car the M was day-glo red, really bright. For about two weeks. Then practicality set in and the M's were done in a less dazzling red. That also faded quickly, and after a while a more orangish color was used. That color would also fade and after a while turned to pretty much a pure yellow shade. When PTM does 73 over, we'll probably use red, as the objective will be how the car looked when first painted green, and without the window screens that came along later. The most likely time for the repaint will be winter 2008/2009, provided we can convince a local industry to spare us the indoor space over the winter.

A friend is going to check on the status of MGA 69 and 70 in New Castle, PA and I'll report back once I hear from him. If 68 still exists in WV (?) then nine of the original ten cars still exist in 2008. A rather remarkable survival rate, I'd say. It's also noteworthy that two consecutively numbered cars were independently preserved in the same town. (72 and 73 in Washington, PA)


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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:35 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
David -

Thanks for the explanation of the color for the "M".

Les


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 Post subject: Monongahela Ry caboose 68
PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:59 pm 

Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 11:35 am
Posts: 332
Location: Cortez, CO 81321
Hi David,

If I still lived in Marietta, OH, I'd buzz down to Ceredo, about 3 hours, to see if I could find #68. I'd be surprised if it isn't somewhere in that area. Of course, I've been surprised a time or two over the years!

Cortez is a bit longer at 3 *long* days of driving!

Cheers, Roger

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S. Roger Kirkpatrick, Cortez, CO - Gateway to Mesa Verde National Park


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 Post subject: Monongahela caboose 68, Ceredo, WV?
PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 4:11 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:07 pm
Posts: 705
Ceredo, WV isn't exactly handy to Belle Vernon, PA either, Roger.

Perhaps someone with a lot shorter drive could explore that vicinity and tell us if ex-Monongahela Ry. caboose 68 is still thereabouts.

Thanks,
Dave Hamley


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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 4:25 pm 

Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2014 5:50 pm
Posts: 1
The Momingahela 68 caboose now resides in Ashland Ky. At the C&O freight depot! It was donated and hauled in from Kenova Wv. Where it has sat for a decade or longer at a coal dock. The City of Ashland is going to have it sandblasted and painted for display!


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 Post subject: Re: Monongahela Ry cabooses 64-73
PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 8:04 am 

Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:07 pm
Posts: 705
Thanks for the update on MGA caboose 68. I'm glad to hear that it finally found a good home. I have also confirmed that the two cabooses that have been built into the structure at Clark's Photo Express in New Castle, PA are the former MGA 69 and 70. An interesting twist is that both now sit on roller bearing trucks. They are missing their draft gear but appear to be otherwise intact. As they have been surrounded by other parts of the building it's doubtful they'll ever leave there in one piece. I have also confirmed that MGA 65 was the one scrapped at Donora, PA in 1991 and 66 is the one displayed at LTEX in Warren, OH.

Thus 9 of the original 10 cars built in 1949 still exist.

The repaint of MGA 73 at Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is proceding, but slowly. The green has been applied, but so far no lettering. Volunteer labor is a good thing, but sometimes proceeds at it's own pace.


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