New Member with caboose(s) questions...

[NW Mailing List]

If you can get your hands on "Cabooses of the Norfolk and Western" by Bowers
and Brewer you'll find a wealth of information on your cabs.  The NWHS
published this reference in 1994.  It is available from the commissary here:

http://www.nwhs.org/commissary/books-nwhs.html
 
R.D. Williams
  _____  

From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 1:57 AM
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org; info at nwhs.org
Subject: New Member with caboose(s) questions...
 
To whom this may concern,
 
I am a new member of the NWHS mailing list and a member and historian of a
newly formed non-profit railroad historical society and museum on Virginia's
Eastern Shore and we have two former N&W cabooses on static display that we
would like to renovate. They are both said to be former N&W RY (ex-NKP)
cabooses numbered NW 557704 (NKP 704) and NW 557504? (NKP 404?). We would
like to accurately paint both of them in their original paint schemes as
both have been repainted over the years.
 
N&W 557704 is currently in the N&W RY's red and white paint with "NW"
lettering on one side and the circular "hamburger" logo on the other. BUT,
there is evidence of it originally being the blue & yellow scheme with
yellow and red safety stripes on the ends. We are not sure if the N&W RY
re-painted this caboose in the red scheme or if a later owner had repainted
it, although the road number has been painted over with a single white line
(I know that this was common when a caboose was taken out of active
service). Also, we would like to renovate the interior. Nothing has been
touched inside since the caboose was taken out of service and all interior
fixtures, etc. are still intact. Apart from very worn and flaking paint, it
seems to be in pretty good shape. Currently, EVERYTHING inside is painted
grey, except for the stove. But, I have seen photos of other similar
cabooses around the country that have been restored and have yellow or red
or black hand rails. Can anyone tell me what items were painted in what
colors?
 
The other caboose is said to be either N&W 557504 or N&W 557404. We're not
sure which. Currently, is is painted in the (now defunct) Eastern Shore
Railroad paint scheme. It is a bay-window caboose and from what I've found
online, all of these bay window style cabooses were painted red and white,
but I don't know about the interior.
 
We are also looking for some history on these two cabooses. Any information
would be helpful, as well as any photographs of either one.
 
Thank you in advance!
 
Sincerely,
Keith Berkebile
Historian - Friends of the (Eastern Shore) Railroad.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20080912/d84182a3/attachment.html>