NYC Caboose in Mechanicville

I posted this on one of the old RR.net incarnations without any luck. Maybe we have someone on here now who can answer so here it is again.

I have a B&W photo I took somewhere about 1964 on the B&M side at Mechanicville. It's a wooden NYC caboose, obviously of the 19000-type series, but renumbered NYC X27213 which would indicate MW or some other company use, not a normal in-service caboose. It has heavy screens on the windows and a screen door, and appeared to be parked on the track long term.

I know at one time NYC did run through frm Dewitt to Mechanicville so presumably it was some sort of office or lay-over for NYC employees. Anyone know what it was used for?

Can you upload your picture anyplace so we can see it through a link here?

D/

I don't have a scanner but let me see what I can do. I know a couple folks who might be able to help out.

Ill ask around at work there are still some ex "Dumb and Happy" employees who worked the yard way back when.

BR&P wrote:I don't have a scanner but let me see what I can do. I know a couple folks who might be able to help out.

Well, it's NINE years later and now I DO have a scanner - so here's the caboose in question. And no, I still don't have an answer on what it was there for.

When the B & M and NYC downgraded Rotterdam Jct., late 1930s or so, the Selkirk locals were introduced. Twice a day interchange cars for each road were ferried from Mechanicville to Rott. Jct. and then to Selkirk and vice versa. Both B & M and NYC crews and power participated. These jobs routinely took up to 16 hrs. for a round-trip in the early Penn Central days. BM-7 & NY-20, the Dewitt to Mechanicville (and eventually Boston) date from mid-1970s or later.

So this caboose might possibly have been a crew quarters for NYC guys who ran out of time? Today it's totally different but back then times were simpler. I note the screens on every window, indicating somebody spent a lot of time inside.