|
|
| About The Caboose | The
Rutland Railway Association's Center Rutland Depot is home to former
Rutland Railroad caboose number 45, built in the 1920's. It was rescued
from the west end of the former wye track of the Addison Branch of the
railroad, where it had been abandoned on the edge of a swamp. Monty had
'discovered' it when he was living in nearby Cornwall and doing a walk
of the former Addison Railroad right of way. It had
suffered decades of neglect and vandalism.
It was rescued by members of
the Rutland Railway Association a few years ago with the help of Roland
Fay, a retired MoW employee of Vermont Railway. RRA Members Jim
McKinnell and Dan Cross were instrumental in liberating the caboose
from the woods. After it was brought to the railhead at Leicester
Junction, the brakes and friction bearings were checked by Scott
Whitney of Green Mountain Railroad. The move from Leicester Junction to
Center Rutland was arranged and paid for by Omya. The caboose now
resides on a display track at Center Rutland Depot and is being worked
on by RRA members and volunteers as time, money and supplies allow. | | Operation Caboose Rescue | Video Part 1 (First Draft) -- Rescuing the caboose at Leicester Jct.
Part 2 is forthcoming (Caboose arriving at Center Rutland). Check back soon. | | Caboose Updates |
Caboose Work In Progress
Former Rutland Railroad
caboose #45 with one coat of Rutland red paint (as was typical)
and temporary Rutland markings courtesy of Matt Rockwell
(Picture Courtesy of Monty Butterfield - Late Summer 2010)
RRA President Ron
Butterfield would like to thank Don and Ginny
Prescott and Dan Cross for their help getting new windows into the old
Rutland caboose.
"Don was instrumental in getting us working on the
caboose this spring when he and Ginny returned from FL. Last year he
bought four new frames for us at considerable expense. Danny
found a
large package of plexiglass for $10 and we were off and
running.
In
order to install the windows, we had to remove two large panels. We all
learned how difficult it is to remove the old screws that have been
painted over repeatedly!! But, success was achieved and we now
have four
windows in place and it looks really spiffy!"
The frames for the cupola are being
worked on by our newest member, Craig Burton, and they should
be done within a month. We need to paint the caboose before the 18th,
so come on down and lend a hand!
Bob
Welker is working on removing layers of paint from grab irons on the
caboose with a grinder. It is slow and tedious work. A newly acquired
wire brush paint stripper should make the work easier. The visual
impact of stripped and repainted grab irons and other hardware on the
caboose should be huge.
Russ Allan has been tarring the edges of the roof and last weekend
arrived with a 5 gallon bucket of tar that he has donated to the club
and it should be adequate to do the entire roof of the caboose.
Roland Fay has been working on installing tie plates and always has
some new story to tell us about the railroad! |
|
| RRA on Facebook |
|
| Schedule |
Open To The Public
Saturdays 11am - 1pm
Monthly Business Meeting
Saturday October 9th
@ 1pm
Board of Directors Meeting
To Be Announced
Committee Meetings
To Be Announced |
| Museum Hours |
The Center Rutland Depot, home of the Rutland
Railroad Museum, is open every Saturday from 11am to 1pm.
The museum is also available to educational
groups and schools for tours by appointment.
To schedule the depot for
your tour, please email
us. |
| Special Events |
The
Center Rutland Depot is available for outdoor weddings, corporate
functions, special events, mixers, socials, civic organization meetings
and functions, and much more!
To reserve the depot for your next
function, please email us. |
| Research |
The library and museum of the Rutland Railway
Association is available
to Rutland Railroad historical researchers and article authors by
appointment on weekends only.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please email us. |
|
