IRC caboose, ex NYO&W

The late Joe Brauner, of Pennsylvania, had a large assortment of caboose pics taken in the 40's-60's. Here's a shot he sent me which I also posted in the New York Ontario & Western forum.

The caboose almost certainly is ex NYO&W. The pic was taken at what later became Frontier Yard on the NYC 10-23-1952. The initial suggests it may have been owned by International Railways. That line shut down in 1937 if I'm not mistaken so no idea where the car was after that.

Sadly, its condition in the photo suggests that it did not have a very long future ahead of it.

What are the spotting features you see that indicate it is ex NY O&W?

jurtz wrote:What are the spotting features you see that indicate it is ex NY O&W?

Before the 1960's give or take, cabooses were very often unique to a given railroad (with some exceptions). The railroads had their own specs and either built their own or occasionally had a company build the cabooses for them. You could put 10 wood caboose in a line with no lettering and most of them could probably be ID'd by physical appearance alone.

NYO&W cabooses most often had a centered cupola with a rounded roof, as you face the end of the car the ladder is on the left, sheathing ran from the top of the cupola to the bottom of the car (in other words the line of the eaves on either side did not extend under the cupola). Also note the unusual trucks, and the window size and placement. Grab iron style, arrangement of the steps, etc. Probably easier than explaining is to show a pic for comparison:

IRCX was Indian Refining Company back then. I also found International Car Company (of caboose builder fame) using these marks.

The IRC had an 8-wheel caboose, ex-Erie, numbered N-8. That doesn't look Erie. It does look ex-NYO&W with the extra window and cupola profile. Could be coming coming from the JNW, which was ex-NYOW #8014. Right time frame too as the road closed in 1950 and things had to be sold.

Charles

jurtz wrote:What are the spotting features you see that indicate it is ex NY O&W?

Nice article here:

http://www.nyow.org/Articles/Stanulevich/caboose.html

nydepot wrote:IRCX was Indian Refining Company back then.

Charles

OK, my bad - nothing to do with the interurban apparently. Now I have to Google Indian Refining and see what they might have wanted with a caboose.