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Post by riogrande on Aug 27, 2019 5:12:08 GMT -8
I was driving home last night and part of the route parallels the N-S mainline which runs through the town I live. Low and behold, I see a N-S train moving at speed and it has a black caboose on the end, which seems to be an extremely rare site anymore. Naturally I wanted to get a photo but the tracks were some distance and I was driving along at about 50 or so on a 2-lane road. The best I could do was point my phone in the direction and try to get lucky. What I got were two terrible pictures but anyone have an idea what this caboose was? It was black with a silver roof and appeared to have a Conrail logo on the side but couldn't tell. Offset cupola type. Here are a couple of blurry shots, one a piece of it.   Eventually the train out-paced me. Anyone have an idea what this caboose might be and it's origins? |
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Aug 27, 2019 6:08:22 GMT -8
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Aug 27, 2019 6:28:06 GMT -8
Where was this, Jim?
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Post by riogrande on Aug 27, 2019 7:29:29 GMT -8
It was on the N-S mainline west of Manassas VA and heading toward Bealton VA. The cupola was off-set type, similar to Santa Fe or Rio Grande shop built cabooses, not centered like the linked pictures.
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Aug 27, 2019 9:37:59 GMT -8
So this was Monday late afternoon? Early evening? What time? Wonder if you could contact NS and ask! Google is drawing a completely blank for me thus far.
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Post by riogrande on Aug 27, 2019 11:11:19 GMT -8
It was around 5 pm - never tried to contact NS.
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Aug 28, 2019 19:08:57 GMT -8
That appears to be a red depressed center flatcar ahead of the caboose. The caboose may be used to transport high/wide move techs, or guards for high value sensitive bigs.
I saw a highwide move in Michigan on the CSX quite a few years ago that had the appearance of high value, possibly nuke plant components, that had a caboose behind it.
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Post by riogrande on Aug 29, 2019 2:45:34 GMT -8
Karl, that is something I thought of as well. I wish I could have gotten a better photo or look at the caboose. It looked like a Conrail logo on the side but I was too far away to see it well.
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Post by canrailfan on Aug 29, 2019 7:32:48 GMT -8
Karl, that is something I thought of as well. I wish I could have gotten a better photo or look at the caboose. It looked like a Conrail logo on the side but I was too far away to see it well. Looks like a DODX rider car... DODX rider carDon't know about that Conrail logo.  |
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Post by riogrande on Aug 29, 2019 7:54:49 GMT -8
David, that DODX rider car looks much like the caboose I saw. Silver roof, black body. There was a good sized marking on the side missing from the middle of the side of the one in your linked photo but otherwise it looks like a good match.
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Aug 29, 2019 11:48:11 GMT -8
That DODX caboose looks a lot like I remember with the special move I saw so long ago.
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Post by brakie on Aug 31, 2019 8:15:15 GMT -8
Jim, What you saw was NS 555066 Its my understanding its in general local service where long reverse moves are made.
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Post by riogrande on Aug 31, 2019 9:15:37 GMT -8
Jim, What you saw was NS 555066 Its my understanding its in general local service where long reverse moves are made. Dang. Any photos? |
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Post by brakie on Aug 31, 2019 18:03:10 GMT -8
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Sept 1, 2019 2:46:48 GMT -8
Unless it's been repainted again, the one Jim saw is not NS 555066. It was repainted red after being black. Photos I can find on Flickr show it black in 2012, red in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and as recently as April 6, 2019:  Also -- and more crucially -- it has a near on centered cupola while Jim saw a car with an offset cupola. And NS 555066 seems to be based in New Haven, IN -- a ways from where Jim saw "it". |
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Post by riogrande on Sept 1, 2019 4:03:48 GMT -8
Offset cupola, you can see even in the out of focus in the photo that much. The DODX looks the most like the unidentified caboose subject of this topic.
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Post by brakie on Sept 1, 2019 17:30:37 GMT -8
Offset cupola, you can see even in the out of focus in the photo that much. The DODX looks the most like the unidentified caboose subject of this topic. Well, Jim, what you saw was swamp gas reflecting off you car's headlights.. Straight from USAF Project Blue Book covering unexplained objects flying or on the ground. Or better: rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4605134I believe that is what you saw.. |
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Post by brakie on Sept 1, 2019 17:35:51 GMT -8
Unless it's been repainted again, the one Jim saw is not NS 555066. It was repainted red after being black. Photos I can find on Flickr show it black in 2012, red in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and as recently as April 6, 2019: Also -- and more crucially -- it has a near on centered cupola while Jim saw a car with an offset cupola. And NS 555066 seems to be based in New Haven, IN -- a ways from where Jim saw "it". Last I saw 555066 was in Bellevue and still in shiny black. That was around 2011/12. After that 555066 was supposedly being used in Ft.Wayne. |
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