Cupola Removal on a caboose

car57 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 28, 2012 2:13 pm

Im sure i have read and seen Cupolas being removed, it looks like our CA has bolted corner brackets and the cupola could be lifted out for removal and restoration off site.
Anyone had dealings with this and is it a relatively easy job to achieve ?

Mike Pannell
1913 UP CA 2516

Brian Norden · **Posted:** Sat Jul 28, 2012 10:21 pm

Orange Empire has a ex-UP CA caboose. I was not involved with the move, but I recall hearing that the cupola had been removed for the highway move. Also heard was that the cupola was initially installed the wrong way and had to be turned around -- I guess the holes (or what ever) did not match.

k5ahudson · **Joined:** Tue Aug 24, 2004 6:30 am **Posts:** 773

I guess it depends on the caboose, but ex London and Port Stanley Railway #C1 (nee Pere Marquette) was moved several years ago by road with the capola removed. It remains stored inside the caboose at the Elgin County Railway Museum in St. Thomas, Ontario awaiting restoration.
Here is a photo of it in its working days.... https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EKuhdV1MK6IS4ObXlluOU9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0

NewarkBranch · **Joined:** Sun May 16, 2010 9:49 pm **Posts:** 23

Whippany Railway Museum in New Jersey will soon be taking delivery of an ex-Pennsy wood caboose. The cupola will be removed for clearance reasons and then re-installed once delivered to the museum site. You may wish to contact them to discuss the finer points.

SZuiderveen · **Posted:** Sun Jul 29, 2012 7:58 pm

In the '80's I moved a Pennsy N-6b cabin car about 90 miles over the highway on a flatbed.

In order to remove the cupola, I had to remove 12 bolts from the front and rear faces that were through bolted to carlines. Then there were four vertical tie bars (two per side) that went down to the sills. After that, we just cut the flashing and lifted the cupola off.

Steve

Doug Debs 2472 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 30, 2012 12:53 pm

Hi Mike:

The Northwestern Pacific RR Historical Society removed the cupola on S.P. 272 (class CS-15, built 1899 at Sacramento Shops) for restoration: http://www.nwprrhs.org/caboose-1.html

They've done a great job overhauling this car, and should be able to give you some good info on cupola removal etc.

S.P. 272 was sold in 1934 to S.P. subsidiary Petaluma & Santa Rosa RR (a small electric interurban RR serving the apple growers and chicken & egg farms of Sonoma County, with their own sternwheel steamer running nightly to a dock next to the wholesale produce market district in San Francisco). The car was renumbered P&SR 1. It was retired in 1958. The carbody became a used-car dealership office, and was rescued from demolition by Golden Gate RR Museum.

- Doug Debs

car57 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 30, 2012 11:39 pm

Did some work on the roof of the caboose tonight, and reasonably pleasantly surprised at the condition of the planks. We will sheet the roof over and then cover it.

Thanks to all the posts about Cupola removal. I think we are best to try to repair in situ its not too rotten.
Photos here......
http://car57.zenfolio.com/p940861892/h3 ... #h3694958e

Mike Pannell