NEW UPDATE! - Caboose Trucks Donated by the U.P.
The Interpretive center took ownership of a set of caboose trucks that were donated by the U.P. The U.P. was very generous and provided a truck and driver to bring the trucks (wheels) to us from Cheyenne and set them on the 40' of rail that we laid recently and no charge! They also provided the 40 feet of rail - 25 ties and a bucket of spikes! Way to go U.P.!! Pretty exciting stuff! You can come down to the Interpretive Center at the museum site and view the trucks anytime.
NEW UPDATE! - Restoration Progress on Floor
Chuck, Dale, Jim, Bob and Dave jacked up the floor and removed the lower framing member of the north side of the caboose. We have the replacement and hope to get it in place by Thursday this week. Marv McCall came down to inspect the trucks and give us a lesson on how they work and what all the parts do. The guy is a wealth of valuable info. Anyone wanting to help with the restoration please call Dave at 970-281-9094 or email info@moffatroadrailroadmuseum.org. We need people and we need money. It will cost approximately $6,000 to finish the roof-the interior-and the paint and lettering. Please donate to this worthy historic project. To donate specifically for this project, Donate Now and mark your donation to be allocated to the 1923 Caboose Project.
Historic Caboose Has Arrived for the Interpretive Center!
REALLY EXCITING NEWS!!! On December 27th, 2010, the Moffat Road Railroad Museum received their first piece of railroad equipment for the Railroad Interpretive Park at the museum site next to the Kaibab ball fields. The photos above show the process of receiving the caboose - arriving by truck and using a crane to move it from the truck to it's final destination in the Interpretive Center Park. Let the restoration begin!
About the Car
This piece of equipment is a generous donation from the Lonie Bahr family in Falls City, Nebraska. It is a 1923 Class CA-1 off-set cupola all wood UP caboose. It is very rare to find an all wood caboose in as excellent condition as this one is and the caboose has not been modified.
We have already done the research on this caboose and know that it is a correct caboose number built by the Mt. Vernon Car Company in May of 1923 with the original number of 2655-renovated in December of '63 and retired in September if '67. It is only one of 175 made from 1913 to 1924. Very few are left.
Restoration
It is a red caboose that needs restoring. This will be the first restoration piece for the museum and will need the community's help. Time-money-materials will all be needed to complete the restoration.
The caboose does not have any trucks (wheels) but Dave Naples is looking for them and has several leads. We will use several 3’ tall cement stands to keep the unit off the ground and to be able to work on the caboose.
Please help the Moffat Road Railroad Museum get a great start by helping us to restore our caboose. This is a great opportunity for the community to rally around a project that we can all be proud of, all while preserving our history!
How to Contribute
It cost around $3,000 to move the caboose from Nebraska to Granby. The museum has applied for a grant with Union Pacific for $38,000 to restore the car, but are still waiting to hear back as to whether it will be awarded or not. To donate specifically for this project, Donate Now and mark your donation to be allocated to the 1923 Caboose Project. If you would like to help get this project underway by donating resources, please contact Dave Naples at 970-509-9894 or email info@moffatroadrailroadmuseum.org.
In the News
Read more about the caboose in the article published in the Sky Hi Daily News. |