Having cabooses certainly makes you notice cabooses. But, it also make your friends and family notice cabooses. It was through a friend that we learned about this captive caboose in northern Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.
The caboose was was built in 1944 for the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) by the Pullman-Standard Manufacturing Co. in Michigan City, Indiana. This class CA-4 caboose began its work as UP 3865, a traditional red caboose. Then, in 1959 the car was repainted to Union Pacific Yellow and renumbered UP 25165.
In 1969, this caboose was one of eleven sold to the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE). The P&LE numbered the car as PLE 363. Soon after, the P&LE sold seven of these cars to its subsidiary, the Montour Railroad. While in service on the Montour, the car was again renumbered, this time as 36.
Today, Montour 36, along with three boxcars, is part of a small retail complex in the borough of Volant.
UP 3865 –> UP 25165 –> P&LE 363 –> MTR 36
