Ladies and Gentlemen, Recently it has come to the attention of fellow D&H modellers that the 35804 which was assumed to be a former L&N caboose is indeed a former Southern car. It has a built date of 6/51 and is of the bay window configuration with three of the four large side windows plated over. For photos see page 39 (bottom) of the book D&H color guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment or page forty of the book Cabins, Crummies and HAcks Vol 1 North and East. Is there anyway through the aid of your site to determine its former number on the SOuthern and when it may have come to the D&H. It was rebuilt and painted at their Oneonta, NY. shops on 05/29/76. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

-- Robert M. Chupka (Ironnuts@fastbytes.com), August 10, 2003

Answers

Hello,

Please check the center-sill or sill-beam (main beam of the frame running lengthwise on the caboose) for the original SOU number. Looking at the side of the cab, the number will be between the bay window and the right hand truck on the center-sill. Another place to look is on the bolster of the trucks. Sometimes it was stenciled in white letters on the bolster facing the center of the caboose (as opposed to the end of the caboose). The marking will most likely be the letter X and then 4 digits if it was built in 51. It may have been reconfigured by Southern in the 70's. If so, it will have an X and 3 digits. Are there any plates over the large side windows? Does anyone have a photo in digital format that could be emailed to me?

-- Jeremy Cole (southernx201@alltel.net), November 12, 2003.

You might want to address Sallie Loy at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia. We just were made the depository of the Southern Railway Archives (6,000 sq. ft.of material) and there are a lot (...read more than a lot ... a huge amount) of original linens of Southern rolling stock including cabooses. I saw some lettering diagrams, too --- some of this stuff goes back to the earliest days of the Southern...but please be patient, we have a limited staff and are still trying to get a handle on what is here. We will eventually have a fully cataloged list of what is in the Archives but how fast that can be done is limited to manpower. I did see the bay window caboose lettering diagram, tho' because we have a Southern Bay window caboose on the front lawn and are in the process of getting it repainted and relettered. Sallies internet address is (sloy@kennesaw.ga.us) --- Good luck with your restoration.

-- George Deeming, Curator - Southern Museum (gdeeming@kennesaw.ga.us), May 25, 2004.