There is an interesting thread on the B&M Yahoo Group that I'd like to translate here.

In the late 1950's, the Boston & Maine sent a large group of wooden cabooses to Morrison International to be converted into steel cars. These ended up being the well-known short blue/black/white buggies that were all over the B&M in later years (and of which a few survive).

The wooden cars of the #104600 class sent to the program were generally thought to all be used in the conversions, even though the B&M seemed to have sent more cabooses to Morrison than it got back.

So, it turns out that at least three actually survived the 1959 conversion program and would up in Ohio.

Noted B&M expert Tim Gilbert wrote:

"The body of #104611 is in Malenta OH where it is ungoing restoration in order to be displayed at a small RR Museum there. Evidentally, it and two other bodies of B&M buggies were hauled to a Napoleon, OH Lumber Yard many years ago. One was sold and no one remembers to whom or where. The other was sold more recently, and, perhaps some one in Napoleon/Milenta will check with the lumber yard for info."

So, I have three questions for our friends in Ohio on RyPN:

1. I have heard the Malenta group would prefer a NKP hack. Is there interest in trading the B&M buggy for another car if available?

2. Does anyone know where the other two B&M buggies that were in Napoleon wound up?

3. Are there more B&M buggies in Ohio than these three?

Inquiring minds need to know! ;-)

Rob

PS: Sister buggy #104610 is displayed at White River Junction, VT. For a picture, try the link below.

Caboose
rdavis@rypn.org

> There is an interesting thread on the
> B&M Yahoo Group that I'd like to
> translate here.

> In the late 1950's, the Boston & Maine
> sent a large group of wooden cabooses to
> Morrison International to be converted into
> steel cars. These ended up being the
> well-known short blue/black/white buggies
> that were all over the B&M in later
> years (and of which a few survive).

> The wooden cars of the #104600 class sent to
> the program were generally thought to all be
> used in the conversions, even though the
> B&M seemed to have sent more cabooses to
> Morrison than it got back.

> So, it turns out that at least three
> actually survived the 1959 conversion
> program and would up in Ohio.

> Noted B&M expert Tim Gilbert wrote:

> "The body of #104611 is in Malenta OH
> where it is ungoing restoration in order to
> be displayed at a small RR Museum there.
> Evidentally, it and two other bodies of
> B&M buggies were hauled to a Napoleon,
> OH Lumber Yard many years ago. One was sold
> and no one remembers to whom or where. The
> other was sold more recently, and, perhaps
> some one in Napoleon/Milenta will check with
> the lumber yard for info."

> So, I have three questions for our friends
> in Ohio on RyPN:

> 1. I have heard the Malenta group would
> prefer a NKP hack. Is there interest in
> trading the B&M buggy for another car if
> available?

> 2. Does anyone know where the other two
> B&M buggies that were in Napoleon wound
> up?

> 3. Are there more B&M buggies in Ohio
> than these three?

> Inquiring minds need to know! ;-)

> Rob

Rob: An interesting post! My sister and her husband moved to Napoleon a few years ago and I visited them there. Wish I had known about the cabooses at the lumber yard! DARN IT!

There was a really neat old highway crossing flasher in town. Thought it should be preserved at a museum somewhere. It's probably gone now.

Hppe someone can give you an answer to your three questions.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)

> PS: Sister buggy #104610 is displayed at
> White River Junction, VT. For a picture, try
> the link below.


midlandblb@cs.com