Bath & Hammondsport caboose #1

A&A caboose 303 is an ex Susquehanna & ny. It has prr trucks under it. This one does not have the erie looks. Much more rounded roof.

Caboose 304 is the ex erie 04923. Those numbers are still above the doors inside. It had erie trucks with early cast dates. I though 04 or something like that. I think it is a wood frame.

Sorry, I misunderstood which caboose you were talking about. So the 04923, being one of the "older style" Erie cabooses, would indicate their numbers went up just about to where the new ones started at 04926. Thanks for the clarification.

ARA modified it by making a side door, and later by removing the cupola. Some pics show it with an arch bar truck under one end and a newer type under the other end. Is that still the case?

Yes, the 304 did have one truck replaced. They used it in 1962 on excursions. Some time in that era the truck was changed. The cupola was removed after it arrived on the A&A, but it did have the side door. I have never heard that they added the side door after they purchased it, though I suppose it is possible. I always assumed they bought it that way because they already had the 303 that came with one. By 1948 there was no real passenger traffic left and mix trains with lcl was the norm. I have a letter somewhere from someone that claims to have seen the 04923 working the erie Dayton branch. He claimed the caboose was used there for lcl as well because of the side door. A real mystery now, did the Erie have or use side doors? I have no pictures of the 04923 in service on the Erie........

Well, Erie certainly COULD have put the side door in. Maybe some day somebody will find a pic which will confirm.

So - are B&H #1 and ARA 304 the only surviving Erie cabooses from that older style group? (At least 2 of the newer wood ones are displayed.)

Arch-bar trucks were pretty maintenance-intensive, lots of bolts that needed to be tightened occasionally. Kind of surprised they didn't change both, but I would presume one broke in some way they could not fix and when on a budget you make do.

I just got back from Prototype Rails 2016 in Cocoa Beach where I picked up some color and b&w photos of the B&H caboose.

Something I noticed is that the side doors are not opposite each other.

One side of the caboose has two windows and the door is located under the cupola i.e. "window, door, window". The other side has three windows and the door is offset from under the cupola and fits between two of the three windows i.e. "window, door, window, window".

Thanks,
Mark

So I guess I was wrong...

I was just double checking some other photos and found that the doors are indeed opposite each other and under the cupola.

I did confirm however that there are three windows on the stove side and two on the opposite side.

Mark

Well, not "wrong"... Just took a look at another photo and see the the door is offset a bit on the two window side.

I also found this info that may help any potential modelers (like me):
http://www.railfan.net/lists/erielackph ... se-p25.jpg
http://www.railfan.net/lists/erielackph ... se-p26.jpg
http://www.railfan.net/lists/erielackph ... se-p27.jpg
http://www.railfan.net/lists/erielackph ... se-p28.jpg

Thanks,
Mark

The November 2007 issue of Scale Rails from the NMRA has an article on this caboose on page 30. It also contains drawings. The B&H definitely added the side doors.

Thanks,
Mark

Here's two pics of the B&H caboose March 1, 1970. I also just uploaded a couple 1951 pics to the Arcade & Attica forum and will duplicate one here, to compare the side doors. Given the difference in height and location, it's highly likely that they were installed by different railroads. I can't say whether one, or the other or neither was done by Erie, but I'd say that Erie did NOT do BOTH.

What's the history of the A&A picture you posted?

Benjamin Maggi wrote:What's the history of the A&A picture you posted?

Taken by the late William Hollingsworth, a friend of my father's, in 1951. Appears to be on a fan trip, No exact date, no specific location on ARA. Also a pic of the 2 44-tonners posted on ARA forum.

Thanks!