Hello, Does anyone know of any good sources as to where one would get info on purchasing old cabooses or locomotives? I am just curious here and thought it would be cool to put a caboose in your backyard and restore it for use as a small guest room or something. thanks, Greg
UP has stuff for sale on their website. You would be much better off finding something locally. The cost of moving something that size would cost more than the item itself!
I hear you on that one! but i never thought of going to the companies web site. hmm i wonder if they will sell to the general public as long as the person has the money? where did you find that stuff for sale on UP's web site?
You would probably have to have a certified check, but as long as you have the cash.......... [ February 25, 2005, 12:09 AM: Message edited by: doofus ]
This should get you started. UP stuff for sale Oops!! No stuff listed at this time!! Try this one.cabooses for sale [ February 25, 2005, 12:31 AM: Message edited by: doofus ]
There is a site that advertises used locomotives etc I'm not sure where it is but was featured in a topic here last year
Here is another good website . If you want freight cars, passenger cars, cabooses, or even locomotives (mostly rebuilt first-generation Geeps), check this place out. Say, isn't there a large scrapyard around your area that takes retired freight cars & reduces them to scrap metal? I thought I read of one in Tacoma- you may check the Yellow Pages in your area as well.
yeah i was looking in an old BN book i have and there is a picture n there with a caption reading some like loco waits to go to scrap yard in tacoma, washington. i'll have to check that out!
the only drawback i have heard with the ozark or anythird party could be with the delivery. if the unit isn't equipped with roller bearing trucks, i have heard that up or bnsf won't allow it down the tracks, requiring truck transport for the entire distance. if it is the road itself, i imagine that it probably wouldn't be an issue. jsut food for thought. beast
FRA regulations won't allow anything equipped with other than roller bearing trucks to be interchanged.
Back in the 80s, I remember Model Railroader had an article about buying a caboose. If I recall correctly, ATSF was letting go of them for about $2000 a pop and they gave you free transport anywhere on the system. It was a sweet deal at the time I think.
Sounds like that would probably be either Joseph Simon & Sons, or General Metals. The largest expense in acquiring a caboose, (or?), is the cost of moving it to the final display point. The price outside of purchase, could include renting a crane to put it on a low boy, the low boy, and a second crane rental to take it off the truck again. For example, a caboose might require two semis. One for the body. Another for the pair of caboose trucks. Boxcab E50
Friction bearing cars can be moved by railroads, but not for exchange service. If you were to buy a particuliar car with friction bearings, the railroad could move it for you, but you are going to have to work hard or have some inside contacts for them to accept it. Since the car is just being moved from point to point, and it's not in revenue service, it can be moved. The hard part is getting the railroad to do it, and many of them won't, but it is possible.
Allot of equipment is moved without a crane. One example I have seen used is you jack the car up, and remove one of the trucks, then you back a semi with a modified hitch under the car and set the car back down. You then jack up the other end and roll in a road truck, and tow the thing like a semi trailer. A guy I know had a caboose moved about 60 miles and it was right around $3000. I have access to a old RI caboose I can have (it was burned), but the cost of moving it would be expensive since it is in a position where it can't be moved in the above mannor.
Try this: Illinois Transit They're a good site, were valuable to me when I was hunting for a Pullman to restore.
Try looking in the classifieds of the newspaper, there is a guy here in Redding who has a caboose for sale in the paper, sometimes other railroad items will also to up there.
