Pennsylvania Railroad war emergency caboose?

[KriegslokBR52]

While at work and picking up freight in Quakertown, PA found this..."caboose" sitting by one of warehouses.

At first i thought maybe a war time troop sleeper, but i have no clue what exactly this is. On the second picture from the top one can make out huge Keystone between portholes giving this away as Pennsy, X29 maybe. But why the headlight and wiper on the front window? Inside one can see what look like controlls not only for the brakes:

 

[migalyto]

Thanks for sharing. What an awesome find,

 

[KriegslokBR52]

Continuing. The controlls seem identical on both ends, as are the headlights and normal caboose markings-red markers and red reflective tapes. The big rectangular boxes in the middle on the floor house brake rigging, cylinders and connections to trucks. PC (Penn Central) on the sides suggests that in fact it was still used by that company.

Built date Oct. 1924, but even more interesting number 64707 styling pure Conrail. Any ideas? I could not find anything on the net. The only Pennsy war time emergency cabooses i found were NX23 steel ribbed wood sheeted ones.

 

[Rico]

Wow very cool, I’ve never seen anything like that!
Almost looks as much like a locomotive as a caboose.
I’d suspect this was possibly a flanger based on the controls?
Why this is not in a museum is a bigger mystery.

 

[santafewillie]

It's a snow flanger. Click for pictures.
CR 64707
CR 64707 - #2
CR 64707 - #3

 

[KriegslokBR52]

It's a snow flanger. Click for pictures.
CR 64707
CR 64707 - #2
CR 64707 - #3

Awesome, much appreciated. So it's missing snow plows. Might have to contact the Museum in Strasburg about this one. Shadow of a huge Keystone on the side gives it away as former Pennsy.

 

[Rico]

Aha! This explains the mu receptacle…

 

[Smudge617]

Definitely an interesting find, perhaps the Conrail Historical Society would be interested in preserving this.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

Definitely an interesting find, perhaps the Conrail Historical Society would be interested in preserving this.

I'm not sure if they have any room. They mostly gather materials like documents, maps and such.

 

[dave1905]

The tip off it's a flanger and not a caboose are the control valves by the end windows and the air cylinders to raise the blades in the middle of the floor.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Nice bit of detective work there - Great!

 

[KriegslokBR52]

I like to take off on weekends, usually saturday and explore all over Pennsylvania and neighbouring states. Being a Pennsy fan i especially look for old PRR equipment and infrastructure. But really also for signs of old steam era stuff. This two rail PRR signal bridge which is generally very rare is still standing on Bold Eagle Branch north of Tyrone, PA:

I took these pictures last summer.

 

[Rico]

Cool!
I've never seen one right on top of a switch before.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

Cool!
I've never seen one right on top of a switch before.

Yeah, you're right, i didn't even think of it. I wonder if it was something temporary, that became permanent. Many Pennsy secondary routes have been built up for two track configuration, including this one. All during expansion and expectation of even higher traffic volumes in early XX century. One author of books on PRR suggested that the only thing standard on "Standard Railroad of the World" was its track gauge

 

[Smudge617]

Yeah, you're right, i didn't even think of it. I wonder if it was something temporary, that became permanent. Many Pennsy secondary routes have been built up for two track configuration, including this one. All during expansion and expectation of even higher traffic volumes in early XX century. One author of books on PRR suggested that the only thing standard on "Standard Railroad of the World" was its track gauge

I would think that as it's for a merging turnout the signal was elevated to make it easier to see and allow the engineer more time to stop or slow down if that block was already occupied.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

I would think that as it's for a merging turnout the signal was elevated to make it easier to see and allow the engineer more time to stop or slow down if that block was already occupied.

Either way unusual. Normally there would be signals for both tracks before the left one started curving towards the turnout. Single track coming from the north in this case would have its separate signal before the turnout even started also. Pennsy is known to build big, i was thinking more of preparation for double tracking all the way with future crossover after the signal bridge as is normally done. When traffic volume did not materialize they eventually improvised and used one signal tower for both directions. Another well known secondary PRR line is the Buffalo Line which goes from Harrisburg to its namesake city. That has also been prepared for double tracking and untill recently there were two bridges (which i know of) that spanned two tracks on it. Both of those are gone sadly.

 

[Rico]

The rules say stop at signal, in this case it’s stop way before signal! Lol

 

[J.Albert]

Rico wrote:
"I've never seen one right on top of a switch before"

Looks like the track underneath the signal bridge has since been "re-configured", long after the signal system on the Bald Eagle was shut down.

I recall reading that the Bald Eagle Branch was where the PRR first experimented with cab signals back in the 1920's. I'll guess that the signal bridges remaining there (but no longer in use) date from around that time.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

Since we're on Pennsy, got a shot of railroads pride and joy at one time-GG1. This example, GG1 4859 was supposedly the one to pull first electrically powered scheduled train to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The year was 1938 and train was the "Metropolitan".

It is now standing here in Harrisburg under the original shed, which actually had to be raised about a foot, to fit in catenary wires. Coupled to it is a Pennsy N6 wooden caboose and together they look like a typical caboose hop, say from Enola into Harrisburg yard. Coincidentally next to it is a control cab rebuilt from original "Metroliner" high speed train set. The Metroliners were the last electric equipment ordered by Pennsy to institute high speed train service between New York and Washington D.C. in 1960s. Unfortunatelly by the time trainsets entered revenue service, Pennsy merged with New York Central to create ill fated Penn Central. Metroliners proved to be unsuccessfull and actually spend most of their career as cab control cars just like this one working for Amtrak.

This particular GG1 is also one of only two saved which worked pulling freight for Conrail starting in April 1976. It was actually saved from a scrap yard by a bunch of voluntiers in 1980 and after full repaint at the rail museum in Strasburg, it's been residing here for several decades. As one familiar with Pennsy paint schemes will notise, it's wearing "Futura" lettering, short lived scheme applied to few of its kind when they were new. Possibly the only saved "G" with this scheme.

Somewhat European looking styling of this unique shed provides attractive setting and i dare to say this is the best displayed GG1 of them all.

 

[Rico]

From back in the day when locomotives had character, nice!
There’s a lot of extra little things to see in your photos too.