C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Anything pertaining to railfanning in Michigan.
User avatar
GTW Dude
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 253
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2021 6:46 pm
Location: Somewhere on the Mt. Clemens Sub

C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Unread post by GTW Dude »

I am proud to announce that another wooden caboose survivor has been found in private hands in Oakland Township Michigan and is in immaculate original condition I have not been able to find anything anywhere on the caboose online and appears to have been off the grid for quite a while. I will not disclose the exact location due to privacy concerns I will however post pictures and tell the story the owners who were extremely kind to give me permission to photograph and let me in the caboose as to how it got there. Apparently, the owners before they purchased the house happened to have connections with someone or some company who owned cabooses ( i would presume they had connections with the C&O themselves considering the last date on the caboose i could find was 11-9-63 and given it was a wood caboose was probably retired not long after) anyways, the caboose was taken to Rochester Hills, MI via rail where it was loaded onto a truck with the caboose frame separated from the trucks and reattached with the trucks at the house and ever since has sat there. I discovered the caboose since it was on my morning commute to school when I had first seen it i couldn't believe my eyes that there was actually a caboose tucked this far away. Whether it was on trucks, rails or an official caboose I had no clue at the time. After I had graduated said school years later I happened to remember the caboose and decided to finally put an old question to rest and went to the house to present myself and ask if I could inspect it or see if I could find any markings on it identifying the build date or other things. The owner actually let me inside of the caboose which they were making sort of an office space and happened to have an old cast iron stove whether or not it was original i have no clue but the caboose appeared to be in all original shape and well taken care of if anybody can identify when the caboose was built or have any information on it I would greatly appreciate every bit of it. I have to ask though if you do happen to find this caboose in any way shape or form I would advise you please do not leak the location of it while I do not believe anybody here would do it I would hate for the owners to be bombarded with railfans/foamers at the door wanting to see the caboose.

-Thanks
Gabe
Attachments
rypn 33.JPG
rypn 22.JPG
rypn 11.JPG
Last edited by GTW Dude on Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
GTW Dude
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 253
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2021 6:46 pm
Location: Somewhere on the Mt. Clemens Sub

Re: C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Unread post by GTW Dude »

Extra photos.
Attachments
rypn 44.JPG
rypn 55.JPG
rypn 66.JPG

User avatar
GTW Dude
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 253
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2021 6:46 pm
Location: Somewhere on the Mt. Clemens Sub

Re: C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Unread post by GTW Dude »

Extra photo 2.
Attachments
rypn 77.JPG

User avatar
Doktor No
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 1076
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:49 pm
Location: Rockford, Michigan

Re: C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Unread post by Doktor No »

Very nice work GTW....well done. We were using those cabs well into the 70's around Wyoming Yard and here in town.
Curb Your Enthusiasm.

User avatar
NS3322
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 1255
Joined: Sun Nov 08, 2015 12:08 pm
Location: CP-LEVITT

Re: C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Unread post by NS3322 »

I found it after about 10 minutes of searching on Google Maps (relatively easy to find). It is visible from a public road (and from Streetview) so the privacy concerns should not be much of an issue (just be respectful and take your photos from the road). Thanks for sharing this previously undocumented caboose!

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37909
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Unread post by AARR »

Thank you and well-done GTW Dude
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

User avatar
Doktor No
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 1076
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:49 pm
Location: Rockford, Michigan

Re: C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Unread post by Doktor No »

One more thing, if it had a number beginning in 90 that would indicate it made it into later C&O/Chessie times. I have a C&O cab on display, 90721, same style. I don't remember the number but the third shift West Side GR job had one...the one with the plastic horsie on the roof. Twas there when I started in the yard in 1998 or so.
Curb Your Enthusiasm.

kenN
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 159
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:26 pm
Location: Cutlerville MI

Re: C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Unread post by kenN »

Doc, I thought I had a shot of the West Side Job's wooden caboose, but it's a steel version, A953, taken in 1979. For all I know, the "horsey" on the roof might be the same one you're thinking of on their wooden car. By 1979 the crew had also added an artificial Christmas tree and a toy car to their roof decorations.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/ ... 11,5019344

I'm away from home and don't have access to my picture files to post here. Copy/paste the link to your browser to see the picture on my TrainOrders post. Not sure if it's behind the paywall. KJN

User avatar
BL2-1843
Howell Yardmaster
Posts: 5525
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:50 pm

Re: C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Unread post by BL2-1843 »

According to my C&O caboose book written by Dwight Jones, the entire fleet of 100 of these wooden cabs, 90800-90899, all were built in 1926, the original class for these cabs was K3-4 later changed to C-8. after 1935. Unfortunately, no dispositions for any of this number series were listed.

User avatar
BL2-1843
Howell Yardmaster
Posts: 5525
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:50 pm

Re: C&O 90879 undocumented wood caboose found

Unread post by BL2-1843 »

Checking further into my collection of books on C&O-B&O-WM cabooses other than what was stated in my message above, I came across another book by Dwight Jones written in 2001 titled "Cabooses, Displays and Private Owner Cars" In this book he states that cabooses 90800-90899 were built by Standard Tank Car Company in 1926 and as of 2001 there were 32 of them known to have been preserved. There were photographs of 11 of them but 90879 was not one of them. Mr. Jones has written other books since then which I do not have. Assuming he is still around, and if at the same address, you can write him at 536 Clairbrook Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43228. If anyone would know anything about this caboose or any other in this series, it would be Mr. Jones.

Post Reply