Galax area cabooses

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Andy, Bob and Listers:

The caboose currently at the New River Trail State Park trailhead in
Galax is NW class C37 caboose 557069, originally AC&Y 69.
http://www.krunk.org/~joeshaw/pics/nw/caboose/nw557069-1-medium.jpg

The caboose currently by the New River Trail State Park in Fries is
N&W class CF caboose 518272.
http://www.krunk.org/~joeshaw/pics/nw/caboose/nw518272-5-medium.jpg

Both of those photos are from October 2005. Presumably the cabooses
have not moved since then!

The Virginia Captive Caboose List also shows the following caboose
that is the 'missing caboose':

"Galax VA N&W 518448 steel, cupola, New River Trail State Park, from
Randy Key?, Edmonds Road."

The "New River Trail State Park" part is because the caboose was once
reported to have been moved from Edmonds Road to the trailhead.  But
obviously the caboose at the trailhead now is certainly not class C3
caboose 518448.

The Bowers/Brewer caboose book shows 518448 as "Donated to the town
of Galax" in '89, and "resold to private owner" in '90.

It can be presumed that Randy Key? was the private owner who purchased
518448 from the town of Galax.

The front page of the Twin County RR Club's website,
http://chillsnet.carrollcountyva.org/tcrrclub/
shows another photo of 557069 captioned "The club donated caboose
at the entrance of the New River Trail State Park, Galax, VA."

It thus seems reasonable to presume that 518448 was never actually
placed at the New River Trail State Park trail head, and that the
original report that it had been moved there was in error.

So the open questions are:
- Was the AC&Y caboose ever on Edmonds Road?
- If 518448 was the one on Edmonds Road, what happened to it?


Bob, thanks for searching Edmonds Rd for the elusive caboose.

Joe Shaw
Blacksburg, VA
http://www.krunk.org/