International Car Company (ICC) Extended Or Wide Vision Caboose Article - GM&O Historical Society

The current issue of the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio (GM&O) Historical Society's magazine GM&O News, Issue Number 125, has a nice article about when and why the GM&O started buying International Car Company (ICC) of Kenton, OH extended or wide vision, all steel, welded cabooses in 1964.

The Frisco, of course had a bunch of ICC cabooses - 75 bought in 1957, SLSF 200-274, later renumbered to SLSF 1200-1274, 10 more in 1968, SLSF 1275-1284, and a final 8 in 1969, SLSF 1285-1292. These cabooses were highly successful on the Frisco, and popular with the crews.

The GM&O had a similar experience with their ICC fleet.

In the article, the GM&OHS authors say "When International commenced all-welded operations in 1955, the average cost for a new caboose was $10,000, but by the end of operations in 1983 the average price had risen to $40,000, with a few special cars built for the Frisco costing nearly $100,000."

Anybody know what these "Rolls Royce" $100k cabs the Frisco supposedly bought were?

I do not think the SLSF bought any more ICC cabooses after the third order in 1969, but I am not a caboose expert.

Ken

 

Karl - Yep.

I think the main differences in the Frisco's ICC cabooses are that the last two groups, SLSF 1275-1284 and SLSF 1285-1292, did not ride on the fancy General Steel Castings (GSC) trucks, and the last group, SLSF 1285-1292, had a slightly lower cupola and stack to fit within eastern clearances for run-through service use.

I think the GM&OHS article might have a bit too much "Rebel Yell" in it regarding the SLSF $100k ICC cabooses.

Even so, it is a good article about the GM&O ICC cabooses.

Ken