Frisco wood caboose SLSF 115 has found a new home. It was donated by the last owner, Jane Ballard of Joplin, MO, to the Wheaton, Missouri Depot and Historical Society Museum. Wheaton is located southeast of Neosho, Missouri on the abandoned Missouri and North Arkansas (M&NA) line. The old MNA depot was falling apart but has now been completely restored within the last two years by the group. The caboose is to be painted and numbered to represent a M&NA caboose. The caboose was loaded on a truck yesterday, see picture below. The 115 used to located in Webb City, MO until being acquired by Jane several years ago and moved to Joplin, MO. She made it part of her store called the County Caboose. Jane closed the store this year so did not need the caboose anymore. It has been gutted inside so will require a lot of restoration work to make back into a caboose. John Chambers
John, The Wheaton Historical Society museum's web site link is post link is shown below. http://wheatondepotmuseum.org/index2.html. They do not as of 12/2/2009 mention the Frisco caboose SLSF 115. They do provide an address that is a P.O. Box and phone number contact information. However, it does not appear that the site information has been updated this year. The site may be updated later so it is worth checking out. I sure wish we could convince them to accurately restore the caboose to its proper appearance as SLSF 115. Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
Hello, The Frisco caboose SLSF 115 is at the Wheaton Railroad Depot Museum in Wheaton, MO. The caboose had been restored inside and out and is now open for viewing along with the Wheaton railroad depot restored inside and out and being use as a museum. I have no pictures of what the caboose looks like as of today, 7/11/2010, but here is an link or two showing the Wheaton railroad depot, along with the caboose. http://www.missouridepots.com/wheatonnma-80.htm On this link there is three more links: page 2, 3, and 4. http://www.missouridepots.com/wheaton-08-07.htm If I can I will get some pictures of the caboose and post them here. Brian Waller
D'oh! I was just down that way and did not go by the depot because it was not going to be open when I could visit. To think I could have seen the "new" caboose. Thanks for posting this Brian, John, Mark.
Caboose SLSF 1115 has traveled around southwest Missouri. This caboose was built by the Frisco in Springfield at the West Shops. It was constructed in 1946 as part of a group of 20 cars (SLSF 100-119). These cars used a system standard design that featured a straight side steel cupola. This design was first adopted by the railroad in 1938. The links below detail some of its travels and history. Now we just need some current photographs of the caboose at its new home. http://countrycaboose.com/newcaboose.htm http://www.joplinindependent.com/display_article.php/jballard1259859519 (12/3/2009) http://www.neoshodailynews.com/thepost/x1055575252/Caboose-donated-to-Wheaton-museum?photo=0 Its movements have included relocation from from a steel company in Joplin, to the southwest corner of in Broadway and Webb Streets in Webb City, to the Country Caboose at 1100 N. Prospect Ave., Duenweg (Joplin), MO. The car is now located at 317 E. Main St., Wheaton, MO. Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
Hello, I have some pictures of Frisco caboose SLSF 115 at Wheaton, MO, at the Wheaton railroad depot. I will be posting them as soon as I can. Brian Waller
Caboose SLSF 115 We visited Wheaton, MO and enjoyed the nicely restored depot and the Frisco caboose. The steps to the caboose need to be welded so we could not examine the interior. Both sets of arch bar trucks had a Frisco casting and date of February 1936.
Tom, Thank you for adding the photographs. It is great when Frisco folks help out with field research and documentation. There are still several cabooses yet to be specifically located, numbers yet to be specifically identified and more to be photographed. Everyone's help is greatly appreciated! Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
Tom, Nice shots. Looks like the caboose is in good shape. Interesting look from the rebuild without the three car side windows. For your information, those are not arch bar trucks, but are a generic "Bettendorf" type caboose truck with leaf springs. Leaf sprung trucks were common on cabooses as they provided a somewhat smoother ride for the crew than did coil spring trucks. Ken
