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John Campbell did a great job of tracing the history of the Green Bay Route's
cabooses up through the takeover of the Wisconsin Central by the Canadian
National in 2001.
For images of many of the Green bay Route's cabooses, see the Caboose
Photo Roster.
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Early Roster
1930's Rebuilding Program
1960's Rebuilding Program
Modern Caboose Fleet
Post- GB&W caboose roster
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In the early part of the twentieth century the GB&W
rostered a collection of second hand wooden cabooses with cupolas from a
variety of sources, which carried numbers from 01 to at least 016. For
clarification, A&W #1 was renumbered #020 and KGB&W #1-#3 became
#030-#032. Many of the cabooses were replaced numerically in the 1920's
with second-hand Great Northern RR wooden cupola cabooses.
| Partial
roster of wooden cupola cabooses (pre-1937) |
| GB&W 06 |
New 06 was ex-Great
Northern X-153, acquired after a March 1929 wreck demolished the
original 06. |
| GB&W 08 |
Ex Great Northern
90058, acquired November 1925. |
| GB&W 010 |
Ex Great Northern
90071, acquired November 1925. |
| A&W 20 |
Ex Great Northern
90008, acquired from Hyman-Michaels Co. on 1924.12.05 for $620 |
| KGB&W 030 |
Ex Stanley Merrill
& Phillips RR, acquired in 1922 |
| KGB&W 031 |
Ex Great Northern
90010, acquired October 1924 |
| KGB&W 032 |
Ex Great Northern
X-256, acquired September 1928 |
| GB&W 244? |
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The earliest report found regarding caboose GBW #244 is in the Official
Railway Equipment Register of October 1919 (No. 5), which lists the
following: "Caboose, Box.... #01 to #09, #244 ... Total (9)
..." Speculation is that this may have been a GB&W coach
which had a partial steel bay window unit replace one set of double
windows and added to the caboose fleet after it was no longer needed for
mixed train use. GB&W coach #109, sold to the Marquette & Huron
Mountain RR and now at the Illinois Railway Museum had a similar partial
steel bay window unit installed.
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The wooden cupola caboose roster of the GB&W were rebuilt in 1937-1940
by removing the cupola, adding metal bay windows and wooden underframes.
The fleet was renumbered to the 600- series at this time.
Most cabooses were painted red with gray window sashes and white
lettering along with a standard GREEN BAY ROUTE
herald below the bay window. Handrails were painted yellow beginning
in the late 1940s.
GBW #603 received special treatment to become a business car. GBW
#604, #606, #010, #012 became transfer cabooses.
Railroad regulations required most of the fleet to get steel
underframes after World War II. A&W #620 was the last application of
the unique "Ahnapee & Western" font style on a railroad car.
Under independent ownership a new "Ship Via" logo was applied to
the caboose, which was renumbered to #33.
Finally, three 60' passenger coaches (#86, #107 and #109) were
converted to combination caboose-coach cars and used on mixed freight
trains until the end of passenger service in 1949.
| Roster
of Rebuilt Cabooses (1940-1960) |
GB&W 601
road caboose |
Bay window added, not certain if
received a steel underframe. It seems to have left the roster
early, perhaps the result of a wreck. |
GB&W 602
road caboose |
Bay windows added. The last
photo known photo of it was taken in Green Bay July 19, 1965. |
GB&W
603
business car |
Bay windows added. Rebuilt as a
business car in 1947 and painted "coach green" with gold
lettering and no GREEN BAY ROUTE
herald. It was usually assigned to Whitehall Supt. Van Dreese at
Wisconsin Rapids.
As the added metal bay windows applied to GB&W caboose
cars were offset from center the original gold GB&W was applied
to the short side and 603 was applied near the end of the long
side. Later #603 was repainted with a warmer green color and
"GBW" with "603" beneath it was centered on the
lower half of the long side between the bay and car body
window. Sill no GREEN BAY ROUTE,
but with yellow grab irons.
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GB&W 604
road / transfer caboose |
Bay windows added. Later bay
windows were removed, renumbered X604, and used as a transfer
caboose around Green Bay. The last known photo of it was taken
on March 31, 1967. |
GB&W 605
road caboose |
Bay windows added. |
GB&W 606
transfer caboose |
Cupola removed, did not get bay
windows. The car did not receive a steel underframe and had arch bar
trucks. It ran for a time without yellow handrails.
The car appears to be the old #06 cupola caboose as the
length and window arrangement (three on a side) is consistent
between cars. Used as a transfer caboose around Green Bay and lasted
until the late 1950s.
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GB&W
607
road caboose |
Bay windows added. There is a
photo of the caboose taken in 1939 that shows the car to be a
"standard" length rebuilt with wood underframe. In the
book Cabins, Crummies & Hacks, Vol.3 on page 31 there is
a color photo of #607 taken in 1966 and the car is definitely longer
and with a steel underframe. Not certain if the caboose was
stretched or it was a different car. Last known photo
February 11, 1967. |
GB&W 608
road caboose |
Longer car, bay windows added
(sometime after April 1939). The last known photo of it was
taken on June 6, 1969. Photos indicate that this frame was
used for "new" caboose #608 built in 1969. |
GB&W
609
road caboose |
Bay windows added. Last known
photo was dated June 29, 1967. Usually assigned to the Plover
local in the 1960s. |
GB&W 010
transfer caboose |
Cupola removed, did not get bay
windows. Car was renumbered X010 by 1950. |
GB&W
611
road caboose |
Bay windows added. Last known
photo was dated June 25, 1967. |
GB&W 012
transfer caboose |
Cupola removed, did not get bay
windows. This caboose did not get gray window sashes or yellow
handrails. It was used as a transfer caboose around Green Bay,
probably until the rebuild program of the 1960s. |
A&W 620
(A&W 33)
road caboose |
Rebuilt 1928.01 with steel center
sills, needle beams, and 1 1/4" truss rods replacing wood
center sills, wood cross ties, and 1 1/8" truss rods. New
draft arms were installed as were 60,000lb arch bar trucks replacing
50,000lb arch bar trucks. Vulcan swing Motion trucks installed
1940.10. Bay windows added 1943.10. After the
A&W was sold off in 1947 it was re-lettered with a white Ship via
Ahnapee & Western Railway slogan on the sides and no
car number, but retained #620 on the ends above the door.
It was repainted in July 1963 with a Rail Truck Route
herald, silver end platforms, ladders, grab irons and smokestack;
red sashes matched the rest of the car body. It is probable
that the caboose was renumbered to #33 at that time.
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KGB&W 630
road caboose |
Bay windows added. Last known
photo was dated July 1967. |
KGB&W 631
road caboose |
Longer car, bay windows
added. Last known photo was dated June 25, 1967. |
| KGB&W #86 |
60' combination caboose-coach. |
| GB&W #107 |
60' combination caboose-coach. |
| GB&W #109 |
60' combination caboose-coach. |
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Some of the wood cabooses were rebuilt into transfer units beginning in
the 1960s using the existing caboose frames and with a short center steel
cab, retaining the 600- number series previously used. Two cabooses
escaped the conversion, AHW #33 and GBW #605. By July 1966 #605 was sold
to the Copper Range Railroad of Houghton, Michigan as CRRR #605.
There is some confusion on which frames were used for which cabooses,
since a transfer caboose GB&W #605 was built at this time despite the
simultaneous existence of CRRR #605.
| 1960's
Caboose Roster |
| GB&W 601 |
Rebuilt as transfer caboose with
short center cab. Renumbered #101 in 1980. |
| GB&W
602 |
Rebuilt as transfer caboose. Photos
tend to indicate that wood caboose #602 wasn't the donor for the
frame of transfer caboose #602. Renumbered #102 in 1980. |
| GB&W
603 |
Business car, remained in service
until 1972. The body was sold for a hunting cabin north of Green Bay
and the frame used around Norwood Yard as a flat for at least two
years. |
| GB&W X604 |
Rebuilt as a transfer caboose with
short center cab and renumbered 604. Last known photo was dated
1985. |
| GB&W 605 |
Other than bay windows, this car
was never modified in the 1930's/1960's rebuild program. It was sold
to the Copper Range ca. 1966. Sold to Dr.Sabin of Marquette Michigan
in 1972 and now on display near Big Bay, Michigan. |
| GB&W 605 |
Second #605, rebuilt transfer caboose with short
center cab after the sale of first #605. Last known photo was dated
September 1980. |
| GB&W 606 |
Cupola removed, did not get bay
windows. Used as a transfer caboose around Green Bay. |
| A&W 33 |
The last run was made 1972.09.15.
The car was sold in 1972.12 to Dee Erickson of Casco, and the car
was moved from Algoma to Casco by Jim Rabas (local tow
truck/mover) on a trailer, sans trucks. The caboose was welded to a
short piece of track in front of the 'Erickson Apl Hus' in Casco on
state highway 54 through most of the 1970s before being transferred
to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay. |
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Two steel bay window cabooses built by Thrall Car Manufacturing Company
were added to the roster in 1961. GBW #613 and #614 were similar in
construction to the design used for about 150 Chicago & North Western
RR cabooses built at the same time.
Three additional bay window cabooses were built by International Car
Company in 1965-66. They are #615, #616, and #617. They were purchased as
shells from International Car Company and the GB&W completed the
interiors with the 615-616 going into service in 1966 and the 617 in 1967.
The last of the original 600- series cabooses to be rebuilt were #608
and #618 in 1969 for way freight service. They were fabricated by Kraft
Steel in Green Bay, and had small fiberglass bay windows. GB&W #608
was typically assigned to trains No. 5 and 6 (Green Bay to Amherst
Junction) and #618 for trains No. 7 and 8 (Wisconsin Rapids to
Plover/Manawa).
After Itel Corporation purchased the GB&W the caboose fleet was
renumbered from the 600- series to the 100- series in the winter of
1978-79. This was done because of the recent purchase of a fleet of 600-
series boxcars and the inability of the computer system in place at the
time to handle two different sets of cars with the same numbers. The
cabooses retained their last two digits.
The final caboose added to the GB&W roster was a second hand
riveted steel cupola caboose purchased 1980 when an increase in traffic
often required a second Green Bay - Winona train. GB&W#112 was built
by International Railway Car (International Car Co.) in 1956 for the
Kansas Oklahoma & Gulf as #1549, renumbered to Missouri Pacific#13241
[in year???] when the KO&G was merged into the MP system and
eventually renumbered MP #11241 by the time it was retired from the MP in
1978. The 112 made it's "trial" Green Bay to Winona run on May
10, 1980 (with the 115 as the "working" caboose). In later years
the car was often seen on the Plover way freight.
In the early 1980s the Federal Railroad Administration required caboose
windows to be equipped with shatterproof glass. At this time the GB&W
eliminated many of the caboose windows by replacing them with steel
plates.
| Modern
Caboose Roster |
| #101 |
Transfer caboose with short center
cab. |
| #102 |
Transfer caboose with short center
cab. Last known photo was dated September 1980. |
| #108 |
Road caboose with small fiberglass
bay window. The car length and position of the axle generator and
underbody brake gear implies that wood caboose #608 was the source
of the frame. |
| #112 |
Cupola caboose, ex MP #11241. |
| #113 |
Thrall Car Manufacturing Company. |
| #114 |
Thrall Car Manufacturing Company. |
| #115 |
International Car Company. |
| #116 |
International Car Company. |
| #117 |
International Car Company. |
| #118 |
Road caboose with small fiberglass
bay window. Perhaps an old caboose was the source of the
frame. |
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The Wisconsin Central RR purchased the Green Bay &
Western in August 1993. At that time the following cabooses went in
service on the Wisconsin Central.
| Wisconsin
Central / Canadian National's ex-GB&W Caboose Roster |
| #101 |
Became WC #101 transfer
caboose; involved in a collision on July 26, 1993. Scrapped
the summer of 2001. |
| #112 |
Became WC #112; acquired from CN/WC
by the Colfax, Wis. Railroad Museum. Last reported at the
Colfax museum in February 2003. |
| #113 |
Became WC #113; acquired from CN/WC
by Rock K Ranch, Greenleaf, Wis. |
| #114 |
Became WC #114 and repainted yellow
with a WC shield; later restencilled GBW 114. Usually stored
in Manitowoc, Wis. and used about three times a week for the backup
move to Rockwood. Spotted on loaded on a semi trailer westbound on
Highway 10 in Wisconsin in February, 2007. |
| #115 |
Became WC #115; by 1996 it was at
Thomaston MI; eventually assigned to Oshkosh WI for the crew out of
Neenah, generally used for a backup move from the US Paper
Converting plant. Last reported March 2008. |
| #116 |
Spent some time in transfer service
around Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, with a WC herald where the GBW
herald was. Last reported fully plated over in WC solid maroon paint
and renumbered #19 with the new Wisconsin Central System herald
stenciled on. As of 2004 it was used primarily on CN
train YGY758 which runs on the old C&NW
line from Green Bay towards towards Manitowoc. Last reported
March 2007. |
| #117 |
Donated to Portage County
Historical Society in 2002. |
The disposition of cabooses #608 and #618 is unknown.
In October 2001 the Canadian National Railway merged the Wisconsin
Central. As of that time, the remaining GB&W cabooses on the WC were
#112, #114, #115, #116 (renumbered WC #19) and #117.
| Preserved
GB&W Cabooses |
| #33 |
Ahnapee & Western's sole
caboose is housed indoors at the National Railroad Museum in Green
Bay. |
| #605 |
On display near Big Bay, Mich. |
| #113 |
On display at the Rock K Ranch,
2372 Day Street (state highway 96), Greenleaf Wis. |
| #117 |
Acquired by the Portage County
Historical Society in 2002 and on display at Heritage Park,
Plover, Wis. |
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