The Steam Railroading Institute is pleased to announce that we just received a letter from the Jenny H. and Otto F. Krauss Charitable Foundation Trust of Raleigh, North Carolina, indicating that we received a Grant Award towards the restoration of our recently acquired Ann Arbor Caboose #2838 in the amount of $5350.00.

Otto F. Krauss was born in Pforzheim, Germany in 1908 and immigrated to the United States in 1928. He worked as a tool and die maker for Eclipse Aviation, Bendix and Lionel in New Jersey. Mr. Krauss married Jenny Hoh in 1936. Otto Krauss worked in various engineering and corporate manufacturing positions at firms in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Michigan. After his retirement, he obtained three degrees (Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate) at Michigan State University. Dr. Krauss became a researcher in engineering at MSU and devoted most of his efforts to the study of alternate forms of producing electrical energy. Frederick Krauss is the son of Otto and Jenny, and administers the trust. The Krauss trust has been gracious to the Steam Railroading Institute in the past, and this grant recognizes the Krauss family's long standing interest in the #1225, which was placed on display at Michigan State University's campus between 1957 and 1982.

Ann Arbor caboose #2838 shown at the Blue Water Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

This grant, coupled with the roughly $600 we received from the family of the recently deceased Ann Arbor Railway employee Ted Schultz, means we have the money to complete the exterior and interior restoration of this piece of equipment, as well as the interior removable educational panels on the role of the Ann Arbor in Owosso, and the role of the conductor/ brakeman and the once common caboose in the history of the steam-era freight train.

Fred and Ron Miller work on Ann Arbor caboose #2838.

Ann Arbor caboose #2838 shown in a view from PM #1225.

For those that don't know, we recently acquired this caboose from the Bluewater Chapter NRHS in an effort to preserve it and two other historic freight cars from being potentially scrapped. In preparation for its exterior renovation, Steam Railroading Institute volunteers Fred Stevens (St. Charles), John Hansen (Bloomfield Hills) and Ron Miller have already begun work on prepping the window frames on the lower end of the carbody for windows. Kudos to these gentleman for their work to date --- and for the work ahead of them.

Shown is the sink area in Ann Arbor caboose #2838 before restoration.

The interior of Ann Arbor caboose #2838 before restoration commenced.

The Ann Arbor #2838 was built in January of 1952 for the Ann Arbor Railroad as part of an order to replace its existing wooden caboose fleet. At the time, the Ann Arbor was owned by the Wabash Railway, and so these cabooses are near copies of the parent companies standard design. Although from the same class as the recently restored Wabash-era Ann Arbor #2839 caboose owned by SRI member Steve Zuiderveen and on long term loan to the Steam Railroading Institute, this caboose will be restored to the era of Detroit Toledo & Ironton ownership of the Ann Arbor, with a paint scheme of yellow ends, red Carbody, and the AA "Compass" logo. When finished sometime next year, this caboose and our AA 40-foot boxcar will be officially dedicated to the memory of all those who worked for the Ann Arbor Railway in Shiawassee County.