Cabooses of the C&NW Railway
By the mid-1950s, many changes had taken place along the Carolina & North-Western Railway. The company now leased and operated four other shortlines (Yadkin; Blue Ridge; Danville & Western; and the High Point, Randleman, Asheboro, & Southern) in the Southern Railway fold. Passenger trains were gone from all of these shortlines by now; however, freight business was climbing.
In the same timeframe, the Southern Railway was updating its aging wooden caboose fleet with modern baywindow style units. Similar plans followed for the Carolina & North-Western.
Ten baywindow cabs, numbered X25-X34 were built for the C&NW from April 1954 until November 1955 by the Southern Railway at the Hayne Shops in Spartanburg, SC. They were scattered among the Lenoir, Albemarle, Martinsville, Asheboro, and Anderson divisions. Accounting records indicate that all of the cabs were owned by the C&N-W company, and none were sublettered for the leased roads.
Over the operational life of these units, there were four basic paint and setup phases that have been clearly determined. Naturally, they closely mirror the various Southern Railway practices and phases that existed, but there are some important differences. Furthermore, there are some exceptions to nearly each of these phases. If one chooses to model a C&N-W caboose, the old addage about selecting a particular number at a particular date is particularly wise.
In short, the four phases are...
Phase I
The bodies, roof, ends, and walks were painted red. The steps, ladders, and grab irons were painted yellow. There is some debate as to brakewheels being yellow or red, and photographic evidence supports both theories. The trucks and underframe were always black. Window edges were unpainted silver. Lettering was yellow. According to the late Sam McCall, a good model paint match for red is "Special Oxide Red", Pollyscale 414354. Yellow is 414122, and Black is 414290.
X31 at the Hickory shops, in 1956 by John Burn. Phase I with Red paint and yellow lettering and numbering. Note silver edging around the windows.
Phase II
The body, ends, window edges, brake wheels, and walks were painted brown. The steps, ladders, and grabs were painted yellow. Lettering was white. According to Sam again, a match for the brown is Pollyscale "Boxcar Red" 414281 and "Light Freight Car Red" 414352 mixed 50/50. Most SR historians agree this phase for SR cabs began circa 1962 and lasted until around 1968, but some C&N-W cabeese wore this scheme as late as 1970 and even 1971.
X25, circa 1970 at an unknown location by unknown photographer. Taken circa 1970, still in the Phase II "boxcar red" scheme.
PHASE III
Lasted from about 1968 until 1982, but probably did not hit the C&N-W until ca. 1973. Body, ends, walks, brake wheels, window edges bright red with white lettering, Yellow steps, ladders, and grabs. . The two center windows were blanked out. Generally speaking, the cabeese with no radios were given a yellow baywindow. However, the painting of the window was slightly different than the SR methodology. Under Southern styles, only the window itself was painted yellow. On C&N-W cabs, the flat body areas above and below the windows were also yellow (see photos below). Also, the lettering for the word "AND" was on a small red rectangular background in most cases. Photos confirm that X25, 26, 29, 31, and 33 became "Yellow Bellies." "HO Sam" again recommended good color matches with Pollyscale "Caboose Red" 414128. A good yellow is "CNW yellow" 414191 for the bay window.
X25 is seen here a few years later in SR pool service at Goldsboro, NC in a typical C&NW Phase III scheme. Note the red background on the baywindow for the numbering and lettering.
Phase III: C&NW Baywindow cabooses (cabeese)
Note the differences in these two Phase III rebuilds. X33, to the right, is the exception to the Phase III rule. Note the lack of the red rectangle backgrounds on the baywindow and the red body area below the window. X29, to the left, is more typical of the Phase III style, but it lacks the sunvisors over the windows!
Here, X32 sits outside the Hickory shops in the late 60's or very early 70's. The antenna on top generally meant that the cab remained all red, with no yellow baywindow. This hack was used by Bob Gantt, mainly from Hickory to points south. Photo by Ken Marsh.
Phase IV
Circa 1978-1982. Units completely Southernized. No sun visors. Retained the number but took on SR lettering and tiny CRN sublettering on the body sides opposite where the "SOUTHERN" lettering was. Reflector disc replaced by electric light at each end. Note the window frames are not silver, in typical SR style.
X25 in 1982 on transfer run from City Yard to John Sevier Yard in Knoxville, TN. Caboose has been thru the "Phase III" rebuild and completely Southernized, including paint and lettering. This photo was sent to me by I believe, Jack Wyatt.
What is this? An exception to every rule. Note the Phase IV "Southernization" of X31, but pay attention to the yellow paint under the baywindow and-- oh no-- a radio antenna on top of a yellow belly.
Exceptions exist to nearly every rule!
This pic was taken in 1980 at Oyama, NC by Matt Bumgarner.
After Southern Railway retired its caboose fleet in the late 1980's, it is thought that no C&NW cabs managed to survive the torch. It is known that X25 and X31 survived into the Phase IV era, but we have no other evidence that other cabooses made it this far, or were even used in the X700-SR rebuilds that Hayne shops did in the early 1980's.
Oddly enough, a wooden caboose did survive until the late 1990's, but sadly, it was destroyed in 1996.
Read on to hear the story of this single, noble wooden caboose...
The loss of C&NW X6103: The little caboose that could
In the mid-1950's, after an ample number of steel baywindow cabooses had supplanted the wooden ones on the Carolina & North-Western, the old hacks were retired. Two of the ancient wooden ones managed to survive for some time past their prime. X6101 was sold to Tom Hartley, the conductor who had lived in her for nearly 30 years on innumerable trips between Lenoir and Edgemont. Used as a garage for nearly 20 years, the old hack burned down in the late 1960's when a generator being used to keep beehives warm threw some sparks and ignited a fire.
X6103 was purchased by a C&N-W engineer, Parks Russell. He moved it a short distance away from the shop and converted it into a garage. Despite the conversions, it was largely original except on its long end. It managed to sit for over 40 years on this hill until 1996. Matt Bumgarner discovered it while researching the railroad and endeavored to have it saved and preserved. Unfortunately, it was not to happen.
Prior to the unit being purchased by Bumgarner and a local historical society, it was sold to another local resident who wanted to convert it into a playhouse for his daughter. However, hope sprang anew when he contacted the society and said he wanted to donate it for restoration. But while the historical society waited for him to call and say "come and get it", he waited for them to "come and get it". Both sides waited. Neither side called. The resident ran out of patience and destroyed the caboose in his backyard.
Bumgarner happened to be driving by the day after the destruction occurred. He naturally was distraught by what happened, and the owner expressed regret at not at least making a phone call. The only thing salvaged from the caboose was a door, a cupola window, the ends above the door which still bore the number of the cab after 40 years, and some brass interior grab irons stamped PRR, indicating the original builder of the grand caboose, which was constructed in 1880.
The pictures below document the terrible loss, one of the greatest to railroading history in western North Carolina. Today, all that verifiably remains of the C&N-W is an old motorcar.
All of the X6100 series had screens over their doors and windows. Note that the screens still exist, as do the sunvisors, at this late date.
Today, this end door is the largest surviving sub-assembly remaining from this caboose.
Empty beer bottles and few wasps nests are all that remained on the inside of the cab in 1994. Note the two brass grab irons leading into the cupola. These were salvaged from the wreckage and still bear the marks of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
This CAD drawing was made from actual measurements made on the caboose before it was moved and ultimately destroyed.