A friend sent me some photos of the Haley Tower Historical & Technical Society's recent work on their Pennsy caboose at the groups museum site in Terre Haute, Indiana. A couple are hopefully included herein.

Les

Wow! Looks like a lot of work but I'll bet it will be just spectacular when finished!

I assume that the photos are up in reverse order, and that they are in fact installing the cupola?

Yes.

Looks like an N6b. Right?

Later!
Mr. Ed

Yep, N6b 981741.

I've been too busy working on it and tired when home to post anything.

Work on the car actually started over a year ago. Lot of exploratory surgery and such. The cupola came off back in June and was rebuilt by a local carpenter.

While the cupola was off, the carline (header) was replaced along with the bowes/arches that support the roof. We reinforced the new arches with 1/4" steel that was laser cut to match what was orignally used to support the cupola.

We also replaced all of the sill beam with new red oak. Lots of fun to cut and drill...

Since the cupola was installed Monday I've installed a new beadboard roof end to end. Hope to get it covered tomorrow.

That's me in the white hardhat in the cupola hole.

Bill

Here's ours. It was my firt project at the PTHT when I started there in '03. It actually looked like a caboose when we started but it was completely rotted away. The only thing we were able to salvage was the ends, all of the rods and part of the cupola. We did make a take off for the materials list and we do have a mill around here that will cut the wood to the correct dimensions. Ours is either 980558 or 980721.

Good luck on your project.

Later!
Mr. Ed

Anybody have a list of surviving Pennsy wood bodied cabooses?

Les

As for the surviving PRR wood cabs, I have one that I am interested in determining if it was an ex-PRR. It became Arcade & Attica #303 in the mid 1940's. They purchased it from the Susquehanna & New York (their #15). It is a rare example of a side door caboose that is now preserved and on public display in Arcade, NY. The thing that makes me wonder where it came from before the S&NY is the fact that all of the Journal Box covers are marked PRR. I believe the S&NY had connections with the PRR. Did they buy this caboose second hand from the PRR, or perhaps add it to an existing order. Any other details on our caboose would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Pat Connors

Mr. Ed,

That frame sure looks familiar, complete with the bends where the platform would be.

Our original plan was to strip ours to the frame and start new. But the purists in our group and the boy scout who is using it as his Eagle Scout project complained it wouldn't be a restoration. So, we have heavily modified what we were going to do.

We had a couple of local mills rough cut the carline and sill beams. In fact the sill beams were custom cut and donated by Tangent rail.

Carline beams were rough cut to the tapered dimensions and then we hand cut them to fit our needs on site.

Good luck on yours too.

Bill

Thanks Bill. If we need help, we'll call on your expertise.

Later!
Mr. Ed

Do the trucks look like this today?

Yes, the trucks do look the same as in your photo. Any chance of getting a print of that photo? Also, any idea if it was a PRR caboose prior to the S&NY? I'd be interested in any details you might add.

Here is a view of the caboose as it sits now.

All I can say is that said caboose looks like nothing I've ever seen in 35+ years of following the PRR.

I found an online roster stating that the A&A's other sidedoor caboose is a former Erie waycar, so I'm inclined to think that this caboose was also ex-Erie, with the probability that the journal covers or trucks were switched from other rolling stock back in S&NY days...........

Here are some update photos of the car. It's beginning to look like a caboose/cabin car again.

Bill