About 2009, there was a well-publicized sale of (mostly) electric railroad equipment in the Cleveland, Ohio area, with this equipment going to a number of different railroad museums. I have seen a list of the equipment and where it went, and in that list are two cabooses; N&W #508021 (to NORM) and NYO&W #8146 to the Connecticut Trolley Museum. Recently on the Don Ross photo site, I ran across some photos of the Southern Iowa Railway which mentions two of the railroads box cab electric freight motors (numbers 100 and 101) as going to the Columbia Park & Southwestern in 1968. These two box motors were included in the afore mentioned 2009 sale. Also mentioned in the Don Ross site as going to the CP&SW in 1968 was a 4 wheel caboose. Here is a photo of the caboose:

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr1007/ba001.jpg

There is a photo taken on the CP&SW of motor 101 and what appears might be the same caboose (with cupola added) here:

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0603/cps101.jpg

There is a note on the Don Ross site that the caboose on the Southern Iowa Railway was originally Chicago Great Western. It was not mentioned in the 2009 sale. Anyone know what happened to that rare bobber?

Thanks.

Les

If you start with this photo

http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/odds/ia/htm/siowa20.htm

and then press "forward" (it is a website with an older format) you will see several more photos of what I believe to be the caboose in question, but no explanation of what happened to it.

There is a book on the little interurban that might give equipment dispositions but I couldn't find any copies available.

https://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Sout ... wa+railway

The group selling the cars said they were keeping a select few of equipment perhaps more related to Cleveland, I don't know if that plan continued, or if the caboose was involved in the sales. You may have to contact the cleveland group.

PMC -

Thanks for the info. As you say, there are a number of photos of the "bobber" on the NewDaveRailPix site, but I also found this one:

http://www.newdavesrailpix.com/odds/ia/htm/siowa01.htm

This shows a different caboose, and even though a bad angle, it appears to be a Chicago Great Western caboose. So, if THAT is the CGW caboose mentioned, what is (was?) the heritage of the 4-wheeled caboose?

Les

To answer some disposition questions. The bobber caboose is at the Connecticut Trolley Museum as well as Boxmotor 101. Boxmotor 100 went to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum (PTM) where it was scrapped for parts. Pictures of these cars and motors are attached.

The N&W caboose went to the Northern Ohio Railway Museum (NORM). It has subsequently been sold to private ownership.

Shaker car 1218 was retained for a while by the Brookins Family. They had plans to create a memorial to Gerald Brookins in the University Circle area of Cleveland. That was the only piece of equipment retained in Cleveland by the sellers in the 2009 museum sale. Plans never came to be and the car is now at the Illinois Railway Museum.

For those wondering about the 100 and the N&W caboose final dispositions. 100 had always been intended to be scrapped by Trolleyville. It was to be a donor to make the Toledo private car complete. 100 was part of a "package deal" with PTM getting the Toledo.

The N&W caboose was part of another package deal. The agreement between the Brookins and the consortium of museums was that everything was to find a home and the Brookins would not be left with any orphans. That is how NORM ended up with that caboose. The N&W caboose did not fit the collections policy of NORM and was sold off to help retire debt incurred in buying assets from the Trolleyville sale.

Steve

Steve -

Thanks for the explanation, and the photo of NYO&W #8146. So that explains THAT! But now the question is, is the "bobber" genuine New York, Ontario & Western? If not, what is its heritage?


Les

A bit of further info on box motor 100. While acquired by PTM along with "Toledo" few if any parts of 100 may eventually end up on "Toledo." The trucks of 100 were far too beefy for use under "Toledo" and have gone to a new home as part of a swap deal. The body of 100 barely made it to PTM aboard the semi as it was very far gone. After removal of a few parts for both PTM and other interests the body was dismantled and much of it burned for scrap steel.

The two other cars PTM acquired in 2009, Cincinnati Street Rwy. 2227 and Pittsburgh Railways 4145, have both been converted back to their original broad gauge and are in use at PTM after some extensive truck and motor rehab as well as other upgrades.

"Toledo" is a longer term project but the aim is to make this beautifully restored carbody into a fully functional trolley once more. Many of the required parts are on hand but extensive work remains.