Les:

The former Army caboose was numbered 907 and was used at Fort Campbell, KY, for many years. I remember seeing it there in 1983. A friend of mine, a retired NCO living in nearby Clarksville, TN, sent a clipping to me from the September 11, 1997 Fort Campbell Courier featuring a picture of the caboose being lifted by a crane. The accompanying text reads:

Goodbye caboose
Recently the 25-27-ton caboose that was once used to cut brush and haul switching from Hopkinsville, Ky., and Fort Campbell was moved to the Clarksville, Tenn., train station to be used as a Drug Awareness and Resistance Education tool. At Fort Campbell the caboose was used to cut brush off the train tracks of the "Back 40."

Besides brush cutting, I believe it was primarily used for the train crew to ride over the ex-IC track from Fort Campbell north to Hopkinsville and return.

Unfortunately I don't know what its IC number was and it's doubtful anyone involved with rail operations at Fort Campbell knows, either.

I don't think its number of USA 907 had anything to do with a previous IC roadnumber. It was just the next number in the series. USA 906, a bay window caboose of probably CSX ancestry, is used by US Army trains moving over the line between Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, NC, and the CSX interchange 18 miles to the north near Leland, NC. It replaced a previous 906, also of uncertain lineage, which was retired in 1995 upon the arrival of the new 906 and finally scrapped a couple of years or so ago.

Numbers DODX 900 through 905 are based at Naval Support Facility Mechanicsburg, PA (formerly Naval Ship Parts Control Center Mechanicsburg) to escort nookle loads.

Tim -

Glad I didn't make the assumption that USAX #907 was ex-IC #9907. And thanks for the explanation of the caboose and its previous role at Fort Campbell and the reason for its U.S. Army road number.

Les

Dennis -

Well, a good idea I guess, but no luck. I found the business number on the internet for the Bogue Chitto Choo Choo Canoe Rental and called. A number of times. But no phone pick up. And no answering machine! I even eventually found a cell phone number, and although the person on the answering machine, sounded like a child, I did leave a message. No response. At least thus far.

During my search for a phone contact, I did find a little bit of information, although nothing on the IC Iowa Division caboose. One website had a listing for the passenger car located there. A coach built for the Illinois Central as #2262, later rebuilt and numbered 2929 and still later given a MofW car number; X2585. Also learned that the equipment is apparently sitting on the old main line of the Fernwood, Columbia & Gulf Railroad. The FC&G connected with the IC at Fernwood, about 4 miles south of McComb, but Bogue Chitto doesn't appear on the short line's timetable that was printed in my copy of the Official Guide. I would suspect that a visit to the canoe rental place might well result in finding the IC number of the caboose, but Mississippi is a long way from Indiana!

Les

Happened to run across this photo on the internet of the caboose at the Bogue Chitto Choo Choo Canoe Rental:

http://www.nditech.rrpicturearchives.ne ... id=2175437

Note the comment by someone stating that the IC number has never been found. But what is really rather interesting is the number in both upper corners of the side showing the number 57. Could this possibly indicate that this Illinois Central Iowa Division caboose is number 9957? We can't tell for sure, but the number fits the second set of Iowa Division numbers (9950-9967). Well, the canoe rental place has never returned our calls, and no one has wandered by to see if a number might be available somewhere on the carbody, inside OR outside, so right now, I'm inclined to believe those two "57" numbers and call this particular caboose number 9957. If anyone finds out to the contrary, please let me know.

Les

We're still working on our Illinois Central Iowa Division caboose and here is a photo of member Joe Kingsbury doing some work today (11/23/13) on the cars cupola. We have had leakage problems through the years, and they were getting worse, which is why we finally decided to bite the bullet and pull the car in for restoration. Because of the fire in the car sometime in its past, the buckled roof provided a poor seal with the cupola, plus we have discovered other areas rusted out. The damaged wood on the interior walls has all been replaced, so that is done. We still intend to paint the exterior of the car in one of its later orange paint schemes (either as ICRR or Illinois Central Gulf) although we contacted the IC Historical Society about the lettering drawing quite some time ago, and have still not received it. Hopefully it is coming. When received, and when the last of the outside is repaired, the display caboose will be ready for painting and then we will finally have to decide which Iowa Division road number to put on the car.

Les

A quick update. We finally did receive the lettering diagram for the later ICRR lettering from the gentleman at the Illinois Central Historical Society.

Also, I just realized (I'm a bit slow on these things) that on the list of these extant ICRR Iowa Division cabooses in this thread, I showed IC #9956 a being displayed in Ponchatoula, Mississippi. Actually, it is in Ponchatoula, LOUISIANA! I'm not going to go back and correct the times it incorrectly appeared as MS instead of LA in this thread, so ask that you please accept this correction, with my sincere apologies.

Les

Here's a current shot of our IC Iowa Division caboose, now wearing a new coat of primer. We're getting closer!

Joe Kingsbury, Bob Albert and Fred Boyer (l. to r.) are discussing the next stop in the process, and are standing on the new strip of concrete put down recently in this West Annex of the museums Shop building. This brings the concrete in this 50' x 98' building up to about 50%. Next will be the installation of the track on the other side of the building. Then eventually, still more concrete!

Les

Now shown wearing her new coat of orange paint. Next up will be the lettering, although minor work is still ongoing. Today we were needle scaling the two roof walks that go around each side of the cupola and also managed to get those primed. Still must paint them orange and put them back on. Also finishing up the interior painting.

Les

As of yesterday the IC caboose was completely painted, less trucks so far, but they
are not in real need of another coat of paint, maybe a job to do when it is back on the
display track. If you look real close at the top of the cupola edge, it is not orange.
To keep the roof from developing cracks in the paint, leaking and causing all the problems
that were encounted prior to restoration, the roof was painted with truck bed liner paint.
Black in color, durable, long lasting, but as the old saying I use, Ten feet away from
the caboose you will never notice it, just as long as it looks nice on the sides and inside,
that is all the public visitors notice. If you use a drone to photograph the car, it will
not matter. The museum needed to use truck liner paint to prevent water inside the car
again and destroying all the wood.

Also the floor is going to get rubber mats, interlocking with each other, bought from
Menards, easy to install, sweeps real nice and is a none maitenance for us. It was
installed in the B&LE caboose a couple of years ago, and has done an excellent job.

Also the Troop Car sleeper car on display was also painted with truck bed liner paint
on the roof to hopefully cure the headaches encountered prior with water leaks, and
a complete restoration again.

HVRM is gearing up for the Easter train rides, check out the web site for HVRM
and come on out 19 April to ride the train. Regular season commences 4 May.
Guest engineer program is filling up fast for the season, if interested contact the
museum on Saturdays or leave a message. Loretta will get back to you ASAP.

Hopefully this car will be rolled out soon and once again on display in front of the
museum depot for all to enjoy. Articfacts will be replaced and new display cases
installed.

Tom Travis HVRM North Judson IN

Lettering is going on the IC caboose! Check out the photo.

Les

Looks like vinyl lettering?

You are correct, sir!

Yes it is vinyl lettering. Bjarne Henderson ordered the stencils from the IC Historical
society, had the vinyl copied exactly as the stencils. It went on easy, using blueprints
of the caboose lettering, it was put on exactly down to the rivet. Using a hairdryer
to force out any air bubbles, it was lettered and done in a couple of hours. Display cases
need to be moved back inside the caboose, some painting inside yet needs to be done
and hopefully roll out will be soon

Tom Travis HVRM North Judson IN

Thank you, Les and Tom. Caboose 9914 is looking really sharp!

Realized that I had not posted a photo of the IC Iowa Division caboose after the lettering was finished. Although the exterior is now done, there still needs to be some minor work finished on the inside, and then the displays put back in (remember, this is our display caboose and a long ago fire destroyed the interior).

Some may recall that this long running thread was started in an attempt to find the original IC number of the car. After many attempts, that effort proved fruitless, so the car has been given one of the numbers in the Iowa Division series that is NOT known to exist. Since there is the possibility that IC #9914 might eventually show up somewhere, a number was chosen that could be fairly easily changed. Thus if number 9914 shows up in the future somewhere, then the cabooses number will be changed to 9911, with fingers crossed that THAT number doesn't show up one day too.

Les