I think caboose conversions or restorations is a very good topic for this thread, as it provide a bit of introspection into what (and what not) to do and how to do it. It also suggests the whereabouts of some cabeese needing a friend.

The Napier Valley lettering is still on one side of the Erie hack, with the Erie logo on the opposite side. This honors both roads for which it served.

Hi,



And then there was the fellow in Ohio (IIRC) that bought an old OR&W narrow gauge passenger car that was almost lost. He took what he could of the one good end and restored about 5-10 feet to beautiful condition. He used it as the enterance to his model railroad room in his house. I believe it was in Model Railroader about 1980.

Doug vV

With the comments about the Rutland Vans still around and the donation after restoration comment... Rutland #40 was donated from a private collection in Cape Cod MA, to the Ct Eastern RR Museum in Willimantic, Ct. The previous owner spent a good chunk of change restoring the body of the caboose to possibly better than new appearance. After his passing his family donated the caboose (fall 2014) to the museum, so it could be preserved and shared with the public.

Rich C.

That sounds exactly like what happened to the cupola end of SR&RL caboose 558, which ended up in someone's model railroad room in New Jersey. I hope it still survives and can be returned to Maine someday.

-Philip Marshall

That sounds exactly like what happened to the cupola end of SR&RL caboose 558, which ended up in someone's model railroad room in New Jersey. I hope it still survives and can be returned to Maine someday.

-Philip Marshall[/quote]

Morris County Central RR (NJ) founder (the late) Earle Gil is the person who obtained the rear portion of the SR&RL caboose. He took the various pieces back to NJ and set it up in his basement as a wet bar. It was lettered "Virginia Valley RR", after his wife Virginia. Years later when Earle relocated to Dingman's Ferry, PA, he brought the caboose with him to his new property and set it up outdoors as a garden shed. When Earle passed away in June 2007, the caboose went to the new owner of the house. No clue as if it survives. Photos of the caboose in 1961 and 2007 are attached.

Thank you for the information and photos of SR&RL 558. I really hope the owners of the property understand the significance of what they've got.

Here is a photo of the caboose in its former life, in the final days of the SR&RL. I see some differences in hardware (brake wheel, ladder, etc.) which lead me to think it's actually not the cupola end after all. Also, the roof has clearly been raised.



-Philip Marshall

Fortunately, the two other cabooses in the class, 556&557, have survived: 556 (restored) at SR&RL in Phillips ME; 557 at Maine Narrow Gauge (I am not sure of its condition):

http://www.srrl-rr.org/Projects/Caboose ... se_556.htm

SR&RL also built a replica, 559. But it might be worth a shot for someone to contact the property owner to see if what's left of 558 can be acquired, if it still exists, the current owner may not even know its significance.

One of the more unusual examples of caboose preservation I've encountered in recent years is in New York City, specifically at Pier 66 on the West Side of Manhattan. There, as part of a floating waterfront restaurant, is a converted car float with a caboose on it. It's painted for the EL, but I have no idea if that's the car's real heritage.

My first thought upon seeing it was "What the heck?", or something to that effect.





The dock incorporates what appears to be a genuine wood-truss float bridge, with rails still in place, which is pretty neat. In addition to the car float there are two other historic vessels tied up at Pier 66: the former USCG lightship Frying Pan, and the former FDNY fireboat John J. Harvey.



According to the restaurant's website, the caboose was acquired by eBay auction in 2007 and trucked in from somewhere in Pennsylvania, while the car float (which they say is ex-DL&W) was acquired from a shipyard on Staten Island.
http://pier66maritime.com/our-story/history/

-Philip Marshall

That's an Erie "Dunmore Caboose", built at the Dunmore (Scranton) Car Shop in the 1940s. The shop building is still there, used as DeNaples Auto Parts warehouse, if I'm remembering correctly.

Howard P.

There is a decently old cabin on a piece of property on County Road 61, between Salem and Cambridge in Washington County, NY (seen here from a Bing Maps view). Have no idea of the pedigree, but it's an odd looking one for sure.

Great find! A few years ago, I was doing research on L&NE bobbers and was contacted by a gentleman who found one sitting on the ground, minus wheels. He purchased it for very little, took it apart down to sticks, and was planning to reassemble it using as much of the original as possible. I have no update on his progress.

The CR-61 caboose is a D&H short wood car, sans cupola.

Howard P.

Folks,
After 20 or more years of being a paper historical society the Northwestern Pacific Historical Society has gotten into rail car preservation in a big way.

Their first project was NWP #13 caboose. They moved it from a parking lot and did general wood repairs. Then found it a pair of caboose trucks. it is now running occasionally at Roots of Motive Power at Willits, California.
Next they took on a much bigger project. The Petaluma & Santa Rosa #19 ex Southern Pacific #272 of 1899. It had been part of a failed pizza restaurant, which removed the entire side down to the sill.

The NWP Historical Society took it on in 2005 and rebuilt the entire side wall, most of the roof and a complete new cupola. They used SP plans to build a new interior and then put together the truss rods queen posts and other under body parts.

Now they have moved on to a passenger car and a baggage car. But that is another story. For further information, you can go to the Society web site for more on all four projects.

ted66

Good report, Ted