Today, on the way to Chaumont, NY, I stopped at Ian MacKellar’s CN caboose to take some photos.
The caboose was sitting in Winnipeg, Canada when Ian purchased it in 1995. It was moved to Potsdam, NY, in 1996, and a crane company from Gouverneur, NY took measurements and made slings. Ian and some friends handlaid a section of track to accommodate the caboose. He says, “The spikes are as thick as your thumb, and your driving it in to pressure treated wood”. The caboose was dropped off behind their house on March 6, 1996, by Conrail’s Potsdam-Canton Local and moved up to the special track by the crane.
The MacKellar’s restored the caboose by putting in a new floor, reupholstering the seats, and painting it. It now has two bunk beds, a sink, and seats in the cupola.
Ian has an HO scale model of the caboose that he modified to accurately model the 1:1 caboose.
Ian also has an HO scale layout modeling the Santa Fe in the 30’s, and a post should come out soon.NCT
North Country Trains 