Tom’s
Raritan River Railroad Page
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com
Cabooses
of the
Click on the links to
see the images full size.
Most have a ton of
details that can only be seen by seeing them full size!
Caboose Roster of the
|
No. |
Year Obtained |
From |
Type |
Notes |
|
1 |
1916 |
DL&W |
4 wheel wood |
Scrapped 1936 |
|
2 |
1916 |
DL&W |
4 wheel wood |
Scrapped 1936 |
|
3 |
1916 |
DL&W |
4 wheel wood |
Sold 1919 to Fox Films |
|
4 |
1916 |
DL&W |
4 wheel wood |
Destroyed 1918 - Fire |
|
5 |
1937 |
DL&W |
8 wheel steel underframe |
1969 ran off S.R Draw Bridge, burned and scrapped on the
spot |
|
6 |
1937 |
DL&W |
8 wheel steel underframe |
1980 Sold by Conrail,
Burned and Scrapped by Grafton & Upton RR 1994 |
|
7 |
1951 |
DL&W |
8 wheel steel underframe |
1965 to Pine Creek RR at |
|
7 (2nd) |
1965 |
(ex-Rutland) |
8 wheel steel underframe |
1980 Sold by Conrail |
|
8 |
1954 |
DL&W |
8 wheel steel underframe |
1980 Sold by Conrail, privately owned and located in |
|
9 |
1969 |
Penn Central (ex-New Haven) |
8 wheel - steel |
1980 Transferred and used by Conrail as No. 19795 |
|
10 |
1969 |
Penn Central (ex-New Haven) |
8 wheel - steel |
1980 Transferred and used by Conrail as No. 19796 |
No.1
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No1/bobber.jpg
Raritan River Engine
No.10 pulls a hopper full of coal, probably making a local delivery in South
Amboy, pulling either Caboose No.1 or No.2, in the early to mid
1930s. Joe Basara
found this gem at a railroad show.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No1/rr001.jpg
National Railway
Historical Society Picture
No.2
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No2/rr002.jpg
A shot of Raritan
River Caboose No.2 attached to
This was one of the
40 ton gondolas the
Before the 1930s,
this was the main business on the
Another pic of
Caboose No.2. Sorry about the water
mark, maybe someday I can get a clean one.
No.3
Caboose No. 3 was
sold to Fox Films, this would have been for the silent movie Checkers, where the
caboose and a boxcar are set aflame
and sent down into the river off of the South River Swing Bridge!
For more
information about the silent movies made on the RRRR see my Movies Page here.
Cabooses 1-4 were
purchased for union compliance, as well as demands of the First World War.
Cabooses No.3 and
No.4 were both gone by the end of the war in 1919.
Cabooses No.1 and
No.2 were eventually scrapped in 1936.
No.5
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No5/Cab5_rr007.jpg
Raritan River
Railroad caboose No.5 in
After Cabooses No.1
and No.2 were scrapped in 1936, No.5 was the first of the Lackawanna cabooses
to show up in 1937.
This shot could be
late 1930s to late 1940s. Note the
absence of red window trim or black window boarders.
This may be the first
official paint scheme.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No5/Cab7_Cab5_CabU_1954.jpg
This picture was
taken in 1954 which is when the 4th caboose (No.8 – not in view) was purchased,
used, from the Delaware Lackawanna and Western and added to the collection.
Cabooses No.5, No.6,
and No.7 painted Yellow with RED around the window panes. This may have been the second official color
scheme.
It would appear that
the first three cabooses got a new coat of paint at that time too!
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No5/Cab5_5c_1a.JPG
Eventually, the red
window panes of the 50s would change to yellow and now the window boarders are
black.
It should also be
noted that the sides are now covered with a smooth veneer, covering the wood
strips.
The bright yellow
paint has also faded or changed to a lighter yellow by now. The Parlin station
is behind Raritan River Caboose No.5.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No5/Cab5_rr011a.jpg
Cabooses No.5 and
No.6, with red window trim, in the South Amboy shops area.
Note the old shop
building in the back right of the cabooses.
This is where the
original shops were before the current shops and round house were built in
1919.
Also note the cab of
engine No.11 is visible to the left of the cabooses.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No5/Cab5_rr012.jpg
Caboose No.5, with
red windows, in the Sayreville Junction Yard.
Note the pole seen in
the photo. This pole, which still stands
in the empty yard in 2010, has helped identify many shots!
Note the rare
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No5/Cab5_rr011c.jpg
No.5 in the South
Amboy Shops area, with the side of the roundhouse visible in the back right.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No5/Cab5Yellow.jpg
Old photograph of
Raritan River Railroad Caboose No.5 (with red windows) in South Amboy.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No5/Cab5_FL000024.JPG
Raritan River
Railroad Caboose No.5, in its final paint scheme of red and white, after being
pulled out of the
She would be burned
and scrapped after taking this plunge.
Note that you can see
the original yellow wood under the red painted veneer under the name.
For more information
on this exciting wreck:
http://raritanriver-rr.com/ForgottenHistory_SouthRiver.htm
No.6
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No6/CabNo6_1951.jpg
George
Votava photo/Rosenbaum collection
Caboose No.6, with
red windows, in 1951, possibly at Crossmans or Sayre
and Fisher.
No.6 would show up
with No.5 in 1937. From 1937 to 1951,
the
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No6/Cab6Yellow.jpg
No.6 in South Amboy
Shops area with Engine No.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No6/rr013b.jpg
Two shots of No.6 in
South Amboy, with red windows. Note the
fact that engine No.11 in visible in the back left.
Also note the late
1940s automobile.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No6/3d_1.jpg
By the 1960s the
windows received black trip paint.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No6/Caboose6_1966.JPG
Here is No.6 in front
of the 2nd No.7 taken in the South Amboy shops area in 1966. By now the yellow paint is faded and looking
bad.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No6/rr-c6abp_edited.jpg
By the late 1960s the
cabooses would get a new red and white paint scheme to match the engines.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No6/Cab6.jpg
Eventually, a decade
later in the late 1970s, this paint would begin to peel. By this time, the remaining workable steel
under frame cabooses (No. 6 and No. 7) were having a hard time with the newer
heaver cars.
The newer all steel
ex-NH cars No.9 and No.10 would be used on most runs now.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No6/Cab6Cab81980.jpg
No.6 and No.8 (by
this time a MOW car) sit in the back of the South Amboy Yard as a young Joe Basara takes their picture in about 1980.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No6/Cab6_GU_1994.jpg
Source:
In 1980 Conrail sold
No.6. Eventually it landed on the
Grafton and Upton Railroad, and was scrapped in 1994.
The car was
photographed in the Hopedale,
Another picture of
poor No.6 has shown up, taken right after the fire.
No.7 First
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No7/Cab7_Cab5_CabU_1954.jpg
The first No.7 showed
up in 1951. It was probably immediately
painted into the yellow and red paint scheme.
This shot was taken in 1954 when the new EMD Sw900s would show up.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No7/Cab7_1st_Yellow_older.JPG
In the late 1950s or
early 1960s No.7 would also loose the red paint and get black window trim.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No7/Cab7PineCreekRR.jpg
In 1965, the Vermont
Railway would send the
No.7 Second
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No7/RRRRCaboose7_2nd_yellow.jpg
Ex-Rutland caboose
No.35 built in 1924, was traded in a 3 way trade, that
would get the
Its interesting to see that for a brief time, the 2nd
No.7 caboose was painted in the yellow and black paint scheme.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No7/Cab7Red.jpg
Eventually, like the
other cabooses, the 2nd No.7 would be painted in the red and white
paint scheme.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No7/122879_edited.jpg
Being a newer and
better caboose, the 2nd No.7 was used more often then
the older DL&W cabooses in the 1970s.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No7/Cab7Red2.jpg
No.7 sits in the
South Amboy yard. By this point, the all
steel (and much stronger and safer) ex-NH cabooses had showed up and would be
used on the daily runs. No.7 would be used,
only as needed.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No7/Cab7_2nd_red_newer.jpg
A nice shot of No.7
in the South Amboy shops area. Note the debris
and scrap lying around. As the decade of the 1970s ended, maintenance and yard
cleanup were hard to justify. It should
be noted that for the years 1977 and 1978, the
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No7/Cab7-1980.jpg
Joe Basara takes the last picture of Raritan River Caboose No.7
in 1980. By this point, traffic levels
had fallen greatly, and No.7 was probably not used anymore.
She would be sold by
Conrail immediately in 1980, possibly to the Grafton and Upton RR, just like
No.6.
More details and
source:
http://railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=21569
No. 8
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No8/1954_8.jpg
This is a great shot
of No.8, taken in 1954. She just arrived
and was just painted in the yellow and red scheme. In fact, if you click on the line, it looks
like the paint is still WET on the top!
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No8/Cab8Yellow2.JPG
No.8 still in the
yellow and red paint scheme, although by now beginning to show her age.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No8/Caboose8_1966.JPG
This shot of No.8 in
the shops area in South Amboy taken in 1966.
The “hack track” area
still looks clean and neat, with green kept to a minimum.
This shot is part of
a larger panoramic shot that was taken in 1966:
http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/SouthAmboyYardPanoramic.htm
I accidentally
discovered this panoramic shot when looking through the collection of Bob Kipp’s slides (Last VP and GM of
The slides were not
in order, and I got lucky when I realized that the crane pic lined up with the
caboose pic, then I had to find the rest!
It is absolutely
worth the time to download the large version and look at the cabooses and all
the detail from 1966.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No8/Cab8Red.jpg
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No8/Cab8.jpg
Very close to the
time it was painted red and white, Caboose No.8 was involved in an accident,
and lost its coupler.
The
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No8/Cab8_CNJ.jpg
This is the most
famous shot of No.8 on the Gillespie Branch.
Used on a
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No8/Cab8SRbridge1973.jpg
The inspection train
with Caboose No.8 takes a stop for a photo on the freshly painted
This is the last
manual swing bridge in
See more info on this
great little bridge here:
http://www.raritanriver-rr.com/SRbridge1.htm
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No8/Cab6Cab81980.jpg
Eventually as the 1970s
passed, No.8 would get sidelined and would loose its
number. Joe, again, takes the last
picture.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No8/RRRRcab6a.jpg
Conrail would quickly
sell No.8 in 1980, and by 2004 it would land in
No. 9
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No9/Cab9Red.jpg
In 1969 the Raritan
River acquired two all steel cabooses from the Penn Central and numbered them 9
and 10, They were ex-Hew Haven cars and were
significantly better then the Raritan’s dilapidated
fleet of ex-DL&W cars. They were
quickly painted red and white and put into service as the primary
cabooses. As per the old DL&W cars,
No.5 was gone by this point, No.6 was sidelined, No.8
was labeled as a MOW car. No.7, the
ex-Rutland caboose would be the backup to No.9 and No.10, if needed.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No9/1380_edited.jpg
Engine No.2 and
Caboose No.9 get ready to pull a small train from the Sayreville Junction
yard.
Note the
Note the pole in the
yard.
In 1980 Caboose No.9
would get renumbered into the Conrail System as 19795.
Current location
unknown.
No.10
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No10/Cab10kennypete_edited.jpg
Engine No.2 and
Caboose No.10 switch cars in Sayreville Junction in the late 1970s.
Note that No.10 had a
special RR logo on the side.
Note the high grassed
in the yard.
Quite a different
view as compared to the shot of No.5 in the same yard 20 years earlier.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No10/JohnSobotkacollectonCab10.jpg
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No10/JohnSobotkacollectonCab10SA0379.jpg
Two shots from the
John Sabotka Collection
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No10/Cab3-6_edited.jpg
Engine No.5 and No.6
pull out on the South Amboy interchange with Caboose No.10.
Very quickly in 1980,
No.10 would also get renumbered into the Conrail System as 19796.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No10/DSC00822.JPG
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/No10/DSC00819.JPG
Rich
Wisneski from the Tri-State NRHS Chapter (http://tristaterail.org/
) emailed me to give me the missing pieces of Raritan River Caboose No.10:
Tom,
I enjoy your
In doing some research I tried to determine the
heritage of the car; I knew it was a
The two cars are ex New Haven C559 and C682.
The total price was $1,400 to acquire the two cars, and $2,000 in freight costs
plus repairs, for a total cost of $3,400.
559 is an NE-5 Class car, which became
The 559 was built at the
C682, a class NE-6, became
Hope this is of interest
Rich Wisneski
Update from Rich,
June 2010:
The RR #10 has not
yet been lettered. The Caboose committee recently completed the lettering
and herald on the LNE 580, so I expect they will work on the RR car later
this year and into next year.
It is located in Whippany. It generally
is borrowed by the
Maybe our next
Miscellaneous Cabooses on the
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/Other/6_1958.jpg
The
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/Other/rrrr1parlin1_edited.jpg
Very quickly after
Conrail took over in 1980, the old cabooses were off the property, either sold
or renumbered, and more modern Conrail cabooses were brought in. Here, a number of Raritan River Engines sit
on the Dupont spur next to a Conrail caboose,
directly in front of the Parlin Station.
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/Other/RRRR_Sayerville.jpg
Bill Burke Collection
www.RaritanRiver-RR.com/Cabooses1/Other/RRRR_1953_SoRiver.jpg
Bill Burke Collection
I believe these to be
water colored. What a great
picture! Engine No.20 and a yellow
caboose pulling to
By 1954 this image
would be lost, as the EMD sw900s would show up, and the steam engines would get
scrapped.
Questions?
Comments?
Here is an entire
forum dedicated to discussions of the
www.railroad-line.com/forum/forum.asp?forum_id=2