Buying a caboose

[Anonymous]

Good Morning,
My father is seriously considering purchasing a caboose to set up on a short section of track for static display on his rural property.

Can anyone recommend any equip. dealers or points of contact at RR's? He's prefer a midwestern road, but is fairly open.

Thx,
- - Stack

[tree68]

I believe there were some CR cabeese advertised in TRAINS for a while, but they may all be gone.

[Anonymous]

It all depends what you want to pay.
If you buy one the can not move on the rail you may spend
around 5000 + and then you have to get it moved by truck
If you buy on that can move on the rail these would run
10,000 + and about a buck per mile by rail.
Look up rail merchants on google he has a few for sale.
He is also listed in railroaddata.com
Most of the goods ones are going for around 15,000 each that I have seen.

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dblstack

Good Morning,
My father is seriously considering purchasing a caboose to set up on a short section of track for static display on his rural property.

Can anyone recommend any equip. dealers or points of contact at RR's? He's prefer a midwestern road, but is fairly open.

Thx,
- - Stack

Your father sounds exactly like mine. He always wanted to do that too. But with the Backhoes and Bulldozers already on the property,(his toys) the neighbors would really have though he had gone over the edge when they would have seen a Caboose being trailered up the road.....I would still like to do that someday....Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[Anonymous]

Keep an eye on the CP Rail website or you can go there and click on the "Suppliers" link and follow on to "Surplus Assets for Sale" link. Sign up for their e-mail notification. All sorts of stuff gets put up for bid. A couple of weeks ago they were putting up a couple of their SOO Line Cabooses that were movable on their own wheels. I'll be you can do better than some of the prices mentioned above.

LC

[Anonymous]

The soo line cabs started at 15,000 just to let you know.
CP does not give things away.
Most of there equipment has a set price to start of with.
Been there done that .
The rail equipment market has changed alot over the past year.
Nothing is cheap any more.You can thank the price of scrap metal.

[Dough]

Just an FYI, there is and old RF&P that I heard was for sale in Hartwell, GA. It isn't in the best of shape, but it is under a covered roof. And although it is on the rail I would bet that it still couldn't travel down the tracks without at lest an inspection. It sure isn't a western road, but how much sense does it make to have it in GA as well...

That same shortline also owns a Georgia something (wooden), a WM Chessie, and a Family Lines/SCL. The last two are out of site, and I don't know it they would consider selling any of these or not.

[Anonymous]

I've been wanting to get that Family Lines cab serviced so I can use it for the daily eight mile shove. But the reality of it is that those cabs will do what they've been doing for years.....rot

[louisnash]

You can try this website. These are wooden cabeese, but the possibilities with them could be great for someone.

http://www.bgrm.org/forsale.htm

Brian (KY)

[Dough]

blaze, good to hear from you again. Did you hear about the truck that knocked the bridge off of its footing over in Athens. I don't know how long it will take them to get it back in operation. I don't even know if they haven't gotten the truck out yet!

[Anonymous]

no I din't, when did this happen? A few months back the crew that works that line hit an empty log truck on their way to the NS interchange. No one was hurt, but the handrails on the Chessie engine were trashed. We're in the dark when it comes to ..... well..
just about everything, but I guess with our main office being moved they've been too busy to fill us in on the latest gospel. good to hear from you too, catch up with us if you're ever in the area.

[Dough]

So that's what happened to the Chessie. I was wondering. The truck just hit the bridge this afternoon, and it looks like it is going to be out of commission for a little while. I hadn't heard that you guys had moved offices.

Hey a friend of mine was curious as to where and how you guys interchange with NS. Is it in Commerce? Is there a passing siding or something up there?

Thanks

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Dough

So that's what happened to the Chessie. I was wondering. The truck just hit the bridge this afternoon, and it looks like it is going to be out of commission for a little while. I hadn't heard that you guys had moved offices.

Hey a friend of mine was curious as to where and how you guys interchange with NS. Is it in Commerce? Is there a passing siding or something up there?

Thanks

The last time I drove through Hollidaysburg, Pa, about a month ago, past the old Hollidaysburg Car shops, I noticed a string of Conrail Cabooses in the yard, faded blue, I believe they were the baywindow NYC style....Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[AlcoRS11Nut]

Give this a try www.railswap.com, they sell pretty much everything, entire locomotive to track spikes. Good luck with it, I always wanted a real piece of RR equipement like a caboose, passenger car, or (better yet) a locomotive.

[Anonymous]

Yea we just got settled in today. If you knew where the old office was, just look across the street and there's the new one. not a far move. They interchange in or around Commerce. If you take the highway (forgot the name) that follows the tracks towards Commerce, you'll pass this place that sells these stone/concrete statues and other assorted "stuff". Look to the left as you go across the crossing with the lights, and you will see a derail. Somewhere closer to the Commerce side is a siding. I have never worked that line, but they tell me they have headlight meets to interchange.

[ericsp]

http://www.uprr.com/customers/ind-prod/yardsale/index.shtml

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ericsp

http://www.uprr.com/customers/ind-prod/yardsale/index.shtml

Sounds promising, but UP has nothing for sale right now. [:(]

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much for the tips folks.

Dave Williams..... your father sounds very much like mine, including a bulldozer, backhoe, a couple tractors, trailers, dump truck, etc.........

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bigedd

The soo line cabs started at 15,000 just to let you know.
CP does not give things away.
Most of there equipment has a set price to start of with.
Been there done that .
The rail equipment market has changed alot over the past year.
Nothing is cheap any more.You can thank the price of scrap metal.

Wow. They were getting rid of some last year for $8,000. Scrap has gone up a great deal. Last I heard scrap rail in 4' sections was going for over $300/ton.

LC

[Dough]

I just happened across this site. Take a look at the section on where to buy a caboose. Many of them even list prices.

That is intersting about shortlines buying up a lot of the old cabooses. Especially with what blaze and me were just talking about. I guess that they want to use them as shoving platforms, however, the Great Walton just doesn't seem to want to restore the ones that they have!

http://www.kiskijunction.com/Page1.html

Edit: Wow, that Ozark Mountain Car place has all kinds of stuff!!![:p]

[Anonymous]

I just checked the OMR website. Right now they only show 2 cabooses for sale, one a UP caboose for 15 grand and the other a Penn Central caboose for 6 grand. The UP caboose has roller bearings while the Penn Central has friction bearings.

[St. Louis Car Co.]

We have a caboose for sale at St. Louis Union Station......ex Reserve Mining ....steel, will move on its own wheels, cupola...30' length. Good shape: $10,500.00 Call Dan @ ST. Louis Car Co. 314-578-0505

[Anonymous]

In the Lincoln Journal newspaper in Lincoln NE is wanting to sell a U.P. caboose bay window. Her husband bough it but passed away. She said in the paper she wanted 7,000. this is about two months ago caboose in good shape still had forms for the conductor nice.[:)] good luck
TR

[nobullchitbids]

I too was going to mention U.P.'s site; however, since Eric has done it for me, there is no need.

I will add that, in my opinion, U.P. et al. are fooli***o get rid of the more modern cabeese -- those still with some service life in them. S.P. had the right idea: On high-crime routes, that former road painted cabeese silver and lettered them, "Railroad Police," then coupled them into the train at a strategic point. Theft was cut significantly, even when there were no cops in them!

[;)][;)][;)]

[eastcoulee]

Not able to help with your exact query, but very interesting reading for any one of you out there is: RAILS IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES by Adolf Hungry Wolf. Published 1979.second edition 1980.Publisher- Good Medicine Books, Invermere, British Columbia, Canada.
He bought CPR caboose at Alyth Yard, Calgary and had it attached to freight train and pulled to his place in B.C. Interesting and good reading in the chapter " Across the Rockies in my own Caboose".
Made me want to get one too and bring to Australia.
Douglas F Hicks