Bob wrote, "I didn't see anybody mention the Monon caboose in Monon, IN."


Perchance you mean RDG #?/EJ&E 179/fake MONON 81579 in the City Park?

Les,

i don't think that a museum should ever paint or letter a car for anything that is not its true history.
It is as simple as that.

The western Railway Museum is going to re-paint the Central California Traction Company caboose 19
as the western Pacific 741 because they need a WP caboose at the end of the WP freight that will be on display. The 741 was one of several numbers that the caboose had during its working life.

The same can not be said for the tourist railroads or sometimes even locomotives that are not painted to reflect their true history. It seems that anything goes for those folks.

Ted Miles

<SIGH>

Tourist railroads are in the entertainment industry primarily, not directly interested in the interpretation of accurate and complete history of anything, any more than Shakespeare was interested in exact historic accuracy in his play scripts. Sure, nostalgia and history are good ways to help sell tourists on riding, but whatever the extent of motivation for historic accuracy (if any) may be inherent in the operation, it isn't the primary mission. This isn't a relevant yardstick for tourist railroads. Tourist railroads impact the public by telling a story through hands on interactive experience, which hopefully involves the ticket buying audience in positive ways. Surely we all understand this by now?

One would hope organizations calling themselves "Museum" and holding a 501C3 for educational mission would do better, but that's a different thing entirely. Holding these organizations to a high standard of accuracy is sensible.

Whichever you choose to be, just try to do it well, so you don't make a negative impression which could hurt us all.

dave

What I tried to point out when I started this thread is that there are cabooses on display in the wrong place. Far more than just a few. In the original posting, a Milwaukee Road caboose was lettered for the Rock Island and a Rock Island caboose for the Milwaukee Road. An easy thing would be for the two communities involved to just trade cabooses! SURE there would be a cost involved, but at least the two places would have the genuine articles. And the fact that the moving equipment and cranes (if necessary) would be there for both moves, just might cut the cost down a bit. Most communities unfortunately, maybe just don't care what kind of caboose they have. But then again, perhaps they do! And if somebody got them "clued in" to a possible trade with a community "three counties over", maybe some would actually try to get some of these "mistakes" rectified. But then again....maybe not!

Les

Given the costs involved in rigging and trucking, what community unencumbered with the interest or knowledge to get the "correct" hack in the first place would pay for a trade based on those criteria now?

dave

Yeah, that would be the one... I wasn't exactly sure of its heritage, but that sounds about right.

Bob Barcus