Working to scale

Maybe the children's classic should be changed to the little caboose that could.

The Department of Transportation discovered a deteriorating caboose in 1998 when it began its widening project of U.S. 17 south.

Joe Brown, a member of the Onslow County Model Railroad Club and author of "Atlantic Coast Line: New Bern Branch Line," said two cabooses were discovered in the woods on a vacant lot - one was much more deteriorated than the other. DOT contacted the city and Bettering Our Local Downtown of Jacksonville about the find. Brown said Rosie Jones, executive director of BOLD at the time, managed to get the Marine Corps to use its tank remover and transport the salvageable Bay Window Caboose to New River Air Station in 1999.

"The Marines primed it and took a big dent out of it, and then they set it up on the tracks made for it by the train depot," Brown said.

And now, thanks to financial contributions from concerned citizens and organizations, work has begun to repaint and restore the 1953 caboose that sits on the tracks by the depot that serves as BOLD's headquarters in downtown Jacksonville.

"BOLD asked the Onslow County Model Railroaders if they would help with the repainting, and said they wanted it painted in keeping with the Atlantic Coast Line," said Brown, who has done extensive research on its original colors. He said the body of the caboose will be painted red, the top silver top, the underbody black and the trim black and yellow.

"I contacted a company in Oklahoma and they will make the proper decals for it," Brown said. "Our club is donating the decals. and we're painting the caboose and will help with the renovations.

"We want it done right - it's not often we get to do a real railroad car."

The painting project began with the roof and priming at 7 a.m. Saturday and will continue each Saturday until the painting is done.

"Hopefully with working every Saturday, weather permitting, we'll have it done by the end of the month," Brown said.

The club has also been scouring salvage yards and using other contacts to locate replacement parts for the rusted exterior equipment and for parts of the interior.

"We got some of the stuff to work on the caboose, like the knuckle coupler and brakes, valves and air hose though we replaced the hose, which is really surprising since it sat in the woods for so many years," Brown said.

Railroad Club members Bob Grubb, Roger Aluis, Bernie Rosage, Rob Robinson and Eric Young worked alongside Brown and will continue to volunteer their Saturdays to complete the painting job.

Ownership of the caboose was traced to the Tenander family of Jacksonville, and it ran on the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad servicing Jacksonville. Brown said it was built in a New Bern railroad car shop facility in existence around the early 1900's.

The other caboose may also be used for parts, Brown said.

BOLD and the Railroad Club plan to continue researching and tracking down the age-appropriate equipment to complete interior renovations. Eventually the entire caboose will be returned to its original condition for public view.

Contact Topsail area reporter Suzanne Ulbrich at sulbrich@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8466. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.