In a thread on the ongoing restoration of Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 # 1309 at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, aswright recently submitted some photos of the work, and the area. In the background in one of these photos, there appears to be a Great Northern streamlined cupola caboose. The GN built 30 of these cabooses in their St. Cloud Shop in 1958 through early 1959 and numbered them X1-X30. About 10 of the cabooses are known to still exist, but none in Maryland. Wonder if anyone has any info on this particular caboose, and if it is in fact, one of these former GN cabooses?

Thanks.

Les

I cropped it as best I could. EDIT: I looked at the list again, comparing the two you are exactly right http://www.greatnorthernempire.net/inde ... booses.htm The one pictured is still listed as being at the Oklahoma Railroad Museum (they like to paint equipment for local roads rather than roads that owned it, 'nuff said), so I am guessing the one in Maryland is another survivor:

PMC -

Thanks for posting the photo of the caboose that's at WMSR. And the photos of X21 when in Great Northern red paint and in green at ORM were very welcome. The paint scheme of green with yellow ends was used, I believe, after these GN cabooses ended up on the roster of the Burlington Northern. The herald that's currently on the caboose looks like a MKT (Katy) herald, but the lettering actually reads Oklahoma Railway Museum. Thanks again for the photos. Perhaps someone will chime in and advise just which particular Great Northern caboose, this actually is.


Les

I zoomed in on my original photo and lo and behold! Here's a cropped high resolution version showing what I believe to be number GN X-7.

aswright, X-7 is in the correct series for this type of caboose but is not listed as saved on the caboose list I posted, so this is a new record of a save.

Les, good eye to catch it. Curious how it found its way east, western cabooses generally require a higher clearance than eastern ones. When Stewartstown RR received a donated UP caboose that had been used as an office and paired it with an ex PRR caboose they had been using for years they had to trim the trees along the right of way.

There is a 1968 shot of GN X-7 down near the bottom of this site.

http://gnflyer.com/Caboose.html

I think that caboose is owned by the same guy who owns the former GN obs lounge St. Nicholas Mountain, also stored at WMSR.

It looks like the caboose was moved to the Midwest Railway Preservation Society this weekend (July 12, 2020) along with some other ex-GN equipment: https://www.facebook.com/MidwestRailway ... =3&theater

The GN caboose ran one trip over the WMSR on May 11, 2019.

Tim W.

There's a similar streamlined cupola caboose on the west side of I-45 between Houston and Galveston out front of a storage facility. Been there a LONG time, no idea the origins or history.

CD

Anyone know the heritage of the round-end ob on the far end of the above photo? Looks like it might be NYCRR heritage with those extra-large lounge windows.

Both are Great Northern Mountain series observation cars from the Mid Century Empire Builder re-equip.

Thank you.

These are mentioned in postings this weekend to the GN passenger car thread: Surviving GN Lightweight Cars
go about 2/3 the way down toward the bottom

Side profile looks a lot like the streamlined Wabash cabooses. Only the cupola looks to be slightly smaller on the GNs.