The number on the Mt. Vernon, MO caboose is 200. I was in Mt. Vernon about four years ago on the way to a Boys Scout camp near Joplin, and I took a picture of this same caboose.
I have been in the caboose in Mt. Vernon is numbered 200. It is in great shape. I was not able to verify that this is the original 200 that was delivered in 1957 but it is certainly from that class. The branch to Mt Vernon, I believe, was still worked at the time of the SLSF takeover of the BN in 1980. There was a concrete customer, a lumber yard, a grain elevator and a Carnation plant. Not sure if the Carnation plant was in service at 1980 but it was on the track charts. I seem to recall Charlie Dischinger saying that they would pull an occasional SLSF gon of scrap metal (condensed milk cans) out of the Carnation plant once a week or so in addition to the cars of condensed milk (presumably XF XMs). Late in the 1980s or early 1990s the track was removed so much so that it is difficult to tell that a railroad was ever there. Anyone with better knowledge on the area, please correct my failing memory. The branch to Mt Vernon was at Aurora and would make an interesting branch for operations. I cannot remember if the local up the branch was operated as a separate local or if it was in combination with local service to Aurora. The latter would make the most sense. Ship IT on the Frisco! Rick
The Mt Vernon Branch was a remnant of the Aurora Branch (it used to be on the Northern Div), which ran from Greenfield to Aurora. It was built as the Greenfield and Northern. I'll have to dig up the date. An engine house and turntable were maintained in Greenfield and Aurora. An interlocker protected the crossing with the Ash Grove Sub at South Greenfield. The Springfield-Greene Cnty digital collection of the Frisco employee magazine has an article about the Carnation plant at Mt Vernon.....see the May 1926 issue According to my father, toward the end the Frisco spent a little money to improve the track. However, Carnation changed its mind with regard to rail service, and switched to trucks which sealed the fate of the branch.
Rick, that's the view held by most of those in the know from 1980. Lou Menk wanted the SL-SF management team. Lou was the operator at Jerome, MO at one time. Doug
Anybody know where this caboose is ? I believe it is 1259 and I think it may be in North Dakota but not sure I did a google image search under the title "North Dakota Caboose" and this image popped up after a page or two of other images. The website it is from is called spiralcage.com but the website is several thousand images and I didnt find a caption for this one????? Cool to find another surviving 1200 class caboose that I did not previously know about.
Here's one in Underwood MN, I like it when previously unknown survivors are discovered ! Fun stuff. Found the image on a BN group page on facebook. Caboose sits in the middle of town and is well maintained even today, some nice current images of her on google earth. I'm going to see if I can find a train enthusiast on facebook near Underwood and see if they can look inside for a number. Fun stuff !
The caboose recently discovered at Underwood makes 25 of the 200/1200 class cabooses currently accounted for, I wonder how many others exist that are waiting to be discovered ?
Luke Hansen is the man who posted the image to facebook, I shared with his permission, he knows some people in Underwood, the population is only 345, and he is going to get access to the interior and see if a road number is still there ! Hopefully he will find one.
It would also be helpful if Mr Hansen could get a picture of the trucks on the caboose. Assuming they are still the originals, that would help narrow down the possibilities to either the 1200-1274 series, or the 1275-1292 series. The two had some subtle differences in window placement and other details, but the more obvious difference was with the style of caboose trucks they rode on. The 1200-1274's were equipped with General Steel Castings regular bearing outside swing hanger trucks while the 1275-1292's came with the more common Barber-Bettendorf roller bearing trucks. Both classes were built by International Car. Ken ps - I just expanded the picture, and it looks to be fitted with the GSC truck, so this appears to be a 1200-1274 (200-274) class cab (assuming these are the original trucks)
Ken, Mr. Hansen agreed to get a lot of images for us, he is a real nice guy. The full width stairs and short sill plates definitely put her in the 1200-74 group.
This ex Frisco caboose is sitting in Forks Washington, posted on a caboose forum. Shared with pic owners permission. Unknown number, looks like a residence.
Finally someone posted a pic of the 1200 at East Camden Arkansas. Judging by the roof vents I believe it could very well be #1252. More evidence needed
No Keith, he never did reply, and I have been keeping an eye out for photos of a 1200 with a patch panel under the far left window on the 3 window side........no luck yet.