Caboose SLSF 1209

Discussion in '1200-1229' started by mark, Jun 11, 2010.

  1. mark

    mark Staff Member Staff Member

    Please see the following link for a photo of Frisco caboose SLSF 1209.

    https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&...&th=12887828845c80e0&attid=0.1&disp=inline&zw (5/22/12010)
    Photo courtesy Sharon Vogt, Director, Kanabec History Center.

    This is one of the original group of all steel extended or wide vision road or pool cabooses. The car was originally numbered SLSF 209. It was renumbered by adding 1000 to the original number in 1968. This was done to avoid duplicate conflicts with locomotive numbers when a new computer system was installed by the railroad.

    This car retains the original side windows. Fortunately on this car they have not been sealed or plated over. Also it has retained its roof walks, however the end ladders and cross over hoops have been removed. Unfortunately the end steps have been removed.

    The caboose has been repainted in faux Great Northern Railroad red paint scheme as GN X-176 (2nd). This is the second preserved caboose to carry these reporting marks and numbers.

    The actual GN X-176, later GN X-321, was constructed by the railroad in 1962 from former boxcar GN 50134. The caboose has been preserved as GN X-176 (1st) at the Hill Yard Heritage Fire & Rail Museum, 3202 E. Queen Ave., Spokane, WA.

    This car is located in northeast Minnesota. The caboose is located on Mora’s west side two miles from Minnesota State Highways 65 and 23. It is on the premises of the Kanabec History Center / Kenabec County Historical Society museum. Please see http://www.kanabechistory.org/index.html.

    The address of the car location is 805 W. Forest Ave., Mora, MN 55051.

    Please see http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou....875175,-93.306413&spn=0.008157,0.015643&z=16.

    Hope this helps.

    Thanks!

    Mark
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 11, 2010
  2. paul slavens

    paul slavens Member

    388312_285613791487728_630899219_n.jpg Here is another image.
     
  3. mark

    mark Staff Member Staff Member

    Paul,

    Thank you so much for posting an updated photo on this caboose.

    It is a shame the growth is encroaching on the car. Although not property painted, it is comforting to see her in relatively fresh paint. The great thing about this one is she still has all her windows. Hopefully the museum kept the end step assemblies. Too bad she is stuck in Minnesnowta!

    We do appreciate your travels and sharing photographs with all of us. We continue to look forward to seeing and hearing about your restoration projects on your other cabooses.

    Hope this helps!

    Thanks!

    Mark
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 31, 2014
  4. paul slavens

    paul slavens Member

    Thanks Mark, I cant take credit for going to Minnesnowta (that was funny) and getting this image, I knew from your research that it was at the Kanabec History Center so I searched the internet with those key words and finally found a reasonable image after an hour or so of searching. I saved the image to my computer and then posted it here. I would love to go see it someday. The image reveals that 1209 still has her Pyle lantern brackets on the carbody ends and also it retains its lantern shields. It appears the steps were un bolted and not cut off with a torch so hopefully they still have those and the ladders too. Of course I did send an email and inform them that this caboose was never a GN caboose and is completely irrelevant to the history of Kanabec county, and I told them if they wanted to sell it and generate revenue for the museum then I would love to buy it from them.....It would be great to restore more of these and send them to various rail museums in Frisco country and display them under canopies. I don't expect them to bite but you never know.....LOL
     
  5. paul slavens

    paul slavens Member

    10629430_729514200431016_5031734650077823076_o.jpg This image is from today, was posted on the Kanibec History Center page. The trees have been trimmed and she still looks okay.
     
  6. adams

    adams QLA-QSF

    I just bought a beautiful brass model of 1209...Question--Were these cabooses painted in more of a "caboose red" (more brown than the later bright red). ? Thanks
     
    paul slavens likes this.
  7. paul slavens

    paul slavens Member

    I saw that on ebay, beautiful model, outstanding paint. The colors changed over the years from fading. Earlier paint jobs were Ashland red and faded to almost orange so the color was always changing . some were caboose red that faded into lighter red. These image should help
     

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  8. adams

    adams QLA-QSF

    Yeah, I paid up for it, but I was determined to finally get a caboose with the correct cupola and trucks. From what I've since been reading, seems like they first came in a sort of Tuscan red (brownish)...maybe that's the Ashland red you are referring to?...
     
    Ozarktraveler likes this.
  9. adams

    adams QLA-QSF

    Here's one that might be in its original paint. I'm wondering if the first pic of 1209 you sent was a repaint?
     

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  10. paul slavens

    paul slavens Member

    Well, I am certain the first image I posted is a repaint, and the image you posted is stenciled BN so it is a repaint no doubt. The factory 1957 paint was reddish brown with a black line up high, color images are pretty rare. I think the Ashland red color was applied during the first repaints on these and they started pretty quickly, less than 10 years after they were built. Caboose red paint started showing up in the early 1970s. The 1968 and 69 versions 1275-92 were built and painted from the factory in freight car red paint. The thing to remember is that that red paint fades faster than any other color, and these cabooses were not the same color year to year so there are many suitable colors. Your model looks great just the way it is by the way !
     
  11. adams

    adams QLA-QSF

    Here's mine, by the way, for those who didn't see it...
     

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  12. RogerRT

    RogerRT Staff Member Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I've tried to find the paint codes to mix up a batch of Ashland Red but no luck so far, Lowes can make some if you bring in a chip but by now finding a caboose that hasn't been repainted is hard to do. I always wondered if Rock Island Red would be a good substitute. Roger
     
  13. paul slavens

    paul slavens Member

    Regarding those paint chips Roger mentioned, I have looked on all 4 of my cabooses with no luck getting a good clean sample of Ashland Red, But on a positive note, on caboose 1288 under the black square yellow ball logo, I gently peeled away yellow paint and revealed a mint condition area with near new glossy Frisco Orange paint and have saved some sizable chips and have them stored in clear plastic coin folders so they can be used to duplicate and get a paint code.
     
  14. RogerRT

    RogerRT Staff Member Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Excellent! A near pristine example of Mandarin Red saved!!! I never thought about the paint chips till I had to repaint my house & I had thrown out the dried up cans. I took a photo to Lowe's & they told me to bring in a chip so the computer could match it. Roger
     

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