West Side Lumber Co. Short Caboose #3
The West Side Lumber Co.’s carpenter shop was very prolific, rebuilding hundreds of flat and skeleton cars, and producing several unique rail cars over the decades. The short #3 caboose and it’s sister #4 are two examples.
These two cars, built in the early 1940’s, are short – only 16 feet long – sitting on 4 foot wheelbase freight trucks that almost touch. Most of the hardware was reused from older cars. They have manual brakes and a straight through air line, with a gauge and air valve in the cupola for train control. The interiors were very spartan, even by West Side standards.
The two cabooses were not liked by the trains crews, with a rough ride and no interior room. They were sidelined and replaced with 24 footers after only a couple of years of service.
Our caboose #3 was repurposed for hauling sand into the woods for the Shay steam engines. The wood stove was removed, a door reversed, and bulkheads were added to hold the sand. Two small ‘windows’ were also added for loading the sand.
Caboose #3 stayed this way until rail service was abandoned in the early 1960’s.
Caboose #4 actually went back into service towards the end of service as #6.
After the West Side shut down, parts of the railroad around the sawmill site were used by two different tourist railroads. Caboose #3 was heavily modified for tourist service, with the cupola seats removed and benches and multiple windows added. We call this the circus caboose period.
In the 1980’s, when the Westside and Cherry Valley tourist line was abandoned, caboose #3 was moved to the Stony Lagoon RV park south of Crescent City CA where it sat until 2010 when it was put up for sale.
After a quick survey of the caboose, it was purchased by the Western Railway Preservation Society and moved to McEwen OR, home of the Sumpter Valley Railroad Restoration tourist railroad.
Restoration has been ongoing since 2013. A pair of 4 foot wheelbase trucks were reconditioned and replaced the incorrect 3 foot 7 inch trucks. A new frame built from the original remains, and the cabin structure is about complete as of 2019. Very little of the original wood survived, but we reuse what we can.
Sister caboose #4, which also survived in a private collection, has been restored and is part of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Museum collection in Nevada City CA. The original interior of #4 is the template for the gutted #3.
Picture Gallery – click on picture for larger view.
Caboose #3 at the West Side Lumber Co. mill site in Tuolumne CA. Possibly taken in the late 1940’s, this photo shows the caboose probably out of service. Martin Hansen collection. After the demise of the West Side, caboose #3 shows it’s changes to sand car service. Fritz Klinke photo. Caboose #3 on display at the Stony Lagoon RV park in northern CA. The caboose was heavily modified for tourist railroad use. The interior was gutted and benches installed, and a bunch of windows were added. At one time it was even green with yellow trim. The structural integrity has been badly compromised. March 2107. WRPS volunteers take a trip to survey the caboose. Though in pretty rough shape, it was purchased as-is. May 2017. A WRPS volunteer crew has lifted the caboose body off of the trucks and has loaded them onto a trailer for the trip to McEwen. The caboose body on it’s trailer, about ready for the move. It was a long trip back to McEwen, with even a heavy snow storm near Crater Lake National Park. The caboose body near the SVRR restoration shop at McEwen. Mike Stewart photo. After lifting the caboose cabin off of the frame, we can see just how bad things are. The frame and parts were moved to a WRPS volunteer’s barn near Canby OR for rebuilding. The rotted frame has been stripped of it’s parts, and not much remains. One of the replacement 4 foot wheelbase trucks is being reconditioned for use. The shorter wheelbase trucks are now under one of our West Side flat cars. The rebuilt frame is now back in McEwen, and the last of the hardware is being installed prior to flipping it over and placing it on the trucks. Notice the old-time link-and-pin coupler. Flipping the frame over prior to mounting on the trucks. It’s late 2015, and the new cabin framing and floor starts to take shape. Note the two wall headers, the only two complete pieces of original wood we were able to use to date. Late 2018, and the cabin framing is nearing completion. Some more original wood was used in the framing. Next step is making 4 more roof headers, and preparing to install the custom-milled pine siding and roofing. The new cupola and seats will be installed last. It’s June 2019, and our custom-milled siding is being installed August 2019, and the cupola remains are getting some attention. A few pieces can be reused. October 2019, and the ‘B’ end siding is nearing completion. Roofing has also been started. The siding, main roof boards, doors, and deck are now complete. Cupola seating, windows, and hand rails are next.
