I'm having some trouble identifying the heritage of this caboose:



The photo was taken at Pine, Indiana at the junction of the NJI&I and the Wabash.

The number of the caboose (as best as I can make out) is 562708, but I could be wrong.

Looks to be ex-Wabash. If you can get the number, a query to the N&WHS would probably get you a complete history. One of their members wrote a book on N&W "cabeese" a number of years ago.

Steel, cupola, Wabash 2706/8 was built in the Wabash Decatur Shops in June 1942 and became N&W Class C17 562706/8 in the mid to late 1960s.

WAB 2708/N&W 562708 is preserved in Wright City, MO, on West 2nd St., 1/2 mile west of Elm.

WAB 2706/N&W 562706 was sold to Luria Steel in September 1983 and is thought to have been scrapped.

Thanks for the quick responses! I had a good feeling that it was a Wabash caboose, but the internet failed to provide me with any good information to back up my presumption.

I found a photo of it in Missouri:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=487632

NJI&I #2 is at Bellvue Ohio and reported to be up for sale

Nice pic by Strombeck, is it avail for sale?

Tom Travis HVRM North Judson Restoration

Another observation, N&W boxcar is lettered NJI&I 3466, HVRM has an
outside braced wood boxcar letter Wabash but sublettered NJI&I
for Studebaker cars. I wonder why the NJI&I would have a boxcar lettered
in 1975? Maybe HVRM could letter the N&W boxcar we have for NJI&I
such as in the picture.

Tom Travis North Judson IN Restoration

Simple. Why waste money with a repaint when the car has a perfectly good 12 or so year old paint job. The N&W normally only repainted freight cars when major repairs or rebuilding was done. The last Virginian Ry hoppers were retired in the late 1980's still in their original paint, 30 years after the merger.

Thomas Travis wrote, "NJI&I #2 is at Bellvue Ohio and reported to be up for sale."


Hi Tom,

There is/was a wood, cupola, NJI&I caboose at a golf course in Minerva, OH. I wonder if this is the same car now in Bell(e)vue, OH?

Thanks, Roger

Roger -

The NJI&I #2 that Tom mentioned is an EMD diesel. It's currently at the Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum in Bellevue, Ohio and we have heard it's for sale, but that is not confirmed.

I'm very interested to know if the wood cupola ex-NJI&I caboose in Minerva, Ohio is still there. Does anyone know? What is the name of the golf course? I am 99% certain that the NJI&I's wood cupola caboose was ex-Wabash. I might have some information on it; that is, IF I can find it.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)

Roger -

Apparently the NJI&I had TWO wood cabooses numbered 203. The first #203 was a "transfer" caboose; no end platforms, no cupola, no bay window. This was on the roster at least in the late 1940's. Then in the 1960's, the short line had a wood cupola caboose on the roster with the same number. I doubt that the two number 203's are the same caboose. Usually railroads REMOVED cupolas, not add them! The window placements on the cabooses is also different. Plus, the cupola 203 caboose had a very peculiar style of arch bar trucks whereas the earlier transfer type caboose had more substantial trucks. I have also seen a photo of a Wabash cupola caboose with the same style of arch bar trucks that the NJI&I cupola caboose had, but I don't have a copy of that photo. It may be in the museums collection. One of the photos I have seen of the NJI&I cupola caboose shows it with end damage. The caboose may have been repaired; maybe not. It would be interesting to know if the cupola caboose at the golf course in Minerva, Ohio, has any evidence of end damage. That is, IF it still exists.

Les

Les Beckman wrote, "The NJI&I #2 that Tom mentioned is an EMD diesel."



Why or how would that be related to N&W cabooses?

Les Beckman wrote, "I'm interested to know if the wood cupola ex-NJI&I caboose in Minerva, Ohio is still there. What is the name of the golf course?"


Great Trail Golf Course, East Lines Street.

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-n/njii203ads.jpg

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-n/njii-c203ads.jpg

Roger -

You nailed the two of them!

Les

It's in the picture from my original post and this caboose and NJI&I #2 and the N&W caboose apparently served together - which is somewhat significant.