518 Discoveries
Good News Bad News… Let’s start with the bad.
It has become quite apparent that our biggest challenge will be dealing with our biggest caboose. This past week, we nearly emptied the entire contents of 518, apart from the furniture and some garden and cleaning supplies. The effects of moisture, vandalism, and the general ravages of time have left very little that we can salvage from the car’s interior.
The built-in cabinetry in 518 has been so badly warped by moisture that it no longer functions properly; we had to resort to using a crowbar to open many of the drawers. Much of the drywall has been damaged by water. The hot water tank may be usable, but all of the pipes to and from the tank are gone. The window sills are crumbling and to top it all off, we’ve discovered indications that mice and a snake have been living in the caboose for a while.
Now for the good news; during clean-out we found some great artifacts.
The first is a pair of caboose marker lamp bracket from the B&O Railroad. These are used to hold the lighted red and green indictors used to protect a caboose. Similar marker light mounts are attached to the 565 and 17, but this one is more interesting because it has a slot for flags – which we also found.
Our second discovery, a vintage P&LE switch lock with key, was buried in the back of a closet under mice chewed table cloths. In researching these locks I learned that Adams & Westlake (Adlake) still manufactures locks like this one.
We previously discovered an array of items collected from Schleicher’s travels on Amtrak. Among them, an Amtrak blanket was found in car 17, while in car 565 we found Amtrak branded cups, napkins, placemats, and even salt and pepper shakers. Work in 518 uncovered this Amtrak Auto Train VIP card.
The vintage railroad artifact were certainly exciting, but my favorite discovery in 518 was this pair of Caboose Falls towels.
We’ll share a few more artifacts in future posts.
565 New Lighting
After seeing a picture of a P&LE transfer caboose with these Starlite warning lights I knew we needed a pair for 565. They aren’t as glamorous as the collectable marker-lights most railroad aficionados desire, but they are historically accurate to the final days of this car. These lights are powered by a pair of 6v lantern batteries.
Little by little we’re getting the wet leaves away from the cabooses.
Exploring and Enjoying the Falls
The cascading waterfall through the wooded ravine is both serene and awe-inspiring. This is just one small part of the larger string of falls.
Railfanning
Another slow traffic day. We saw the familiar grey covered hoppers roll past. Two months ago those cars were graffiti free, but with each pass they seem to be a little less pure.