RailRoadFan.com

Interesting article about the caboose ice cream place in Howell. (You may have to be a subscriber to read the article-not sure if they allow free articles anymore).

https://www.livingstondaily.com/story/m ... %20Section

Does anyone know the history of the caboose in question?

Article for those who aren't a subscriber to the livingston daily: https://archive.ph/V8KkG

Per: http://www.railroadmichigan.com/cabooselist.html

Howell GTW 75032 (ATSF 1616) steel, cupola, Whistle Stop Ice Cream Station, Grand River & Chilson Road
Some various photos:
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM33 ... _Howell_MI
http://www.railroadmichigan.com/cabhowellsf1.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/n8myc/328 ... 445085962/
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4946407

chapmaja wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 8:53 am

Interesting article about the caboose ice cream place in Howell. (You may have to be a subscriber to read the article-not sure if they allow free articles anymore).

https://www.livingstondaily.com/story/m ... 268170007/

Does anyone know the history of the caboose in question?

The only thing I could find is the following, not sure if it is accurate:

Howell MI ATSF 1616 ex-GTW 75032, steel, cupola, Whistle Stop Ice Cream Depot, 2387 East Grand River Boulevard
https://www.hebners.net/Caboose/atsf.html

On Google Street View, it only has the Sante Fe logo (facing the street), no identifying number.

There was a similar ice cream caboose business in Battle Creek until the mid-1990s. I am still not sure what became of that GTW caboose (no pictures seem to exist, but lots of people remember it). I think it might be the one in Caro.

~Z~ wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 9:20 am

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4946407

I cannot believe I took that 5 years ago! Time flies. The place had great soft serve!

Ironic that the owner of the caboose has no idea what they were used for!

Can't go wrong at that place. They sell the Ashby's brand I believe, which is one of the best ice cream brands in my opinion.

You can even look West from where the caboose is and see the GLC crossing over Grand River Avenue. You would have to walk up to the sidewalk along the road to get a clear view of the train going by, but its still a great location as far as that goes.

Delicious Ice Cream and Trains? What can be better on a hot summer day?!

Thanks for posting. I need to get down there and get some ice cream now (only about a 30-40 minute drive from where I live in Linden).

Another railroad themed ice cream place is the Ice Cream Caboose in Alto. Right near the CSX tracks:
https://www.facebook.com/IceCreamCaboose/

Mark F wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 1:05 pm

Another railroad themed ice cream place is the Ice Cream Caboose in Alto. Right near the CSX tracks:
https://www.facebook.com/IceCreamCaboose/

Looking at the pictures on that ice cream shop in Alto's facebook page, it appears that their caboose is the former B&O 904017.

Garry K

I live right by the Whistle Stop. I can walk there. Great place.

Ice Cream Caboose in Alto wins points from me for having an olive burger with real sliced olives, as opposed to the mayo-based topping with hints of olive flavor that has become common at many burger joints in West Michigan.

So what I seem to gather from the comments below and the location information on the ex-ATSF caboose site is a lot of ATSF cabooses (or is it cabeese) were in fact ex-GT ones that made their way west and are now back in Michigan.

chapmaja wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 8:32 am

So what I seem to gather from the comments below and the location information on the ex-ATSF caboose site is a lot of ATSF cabooses (or is it cabeese) were in fact ex-GT ones that made their way west and are now back in Michigan.

No, GTW purchased 34 former Santa Fe cabooses to replace most of their wood cabooses in the early 1970s.

All of the 750XX cupola cabeese on the GTW were ex ATSF as I recall.