Transfer cabooses were used for cross-town hops between yards. In the post-caboose era they have been used as “shoving platforms” providing a place for the brakeman or conductor to ride and be the engineer’s eyes during long backup moves. They did not have cupolas or bay windows, cots or amenities. In fact many didn’t have electricity. Most were built in the railroad’s own shops.

Chicago & Eastern Illinois Transfer Cabooses. C&EI built six transfer cabooses beginning in 1966 using the frames from old gondolas as a base. C&EI ran south out of Chicago, then split into a trio of mainlines, The eastern-most ran to Evansville, Indiana and a major connection with the L&N and points south. This route hosted a number of important Chicago-to-Florida passenger trains. The western-most Green Bay & Western Transfer Cabooses. Beginning in the Summer of 1967, Green Bay & Western began rebuilding several wood body cabooses that were well past their prime into new steel bodied transfer cabooses. The GB&W bisected Wisconsin with their mainline from the ports of Kewaunee and Green Bay on Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River at Winona (on the west bank in Minroute headed southwest to St. Louis. Much of that route was shared with NYC’s Big Four line. The third mainline ran down the middle of Illinois to points on the southern tip of the state. This route generated C&EI’s considerable coal traffic. When the C&EI was later split between Missouri Pacific and Louisville & Nashville (in a deal not unlike the splitting of Conrail between NS and CSX decades later) four of these cars (517-520) went to L&N and two (515-516) went to Missouri Pacific.

All Bluford Shops cabooses come ready-to-run with magnetically operating knuckle style couplers, metal detail parts and, roller bearing caboose style leaf spring trucks except where noted. Axel generators and screen window frames will be included in the package.    

Reservations Due By: TBA

Expected Release: September 2012