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Exterior restoration work on our 1941 railroad caboose is complete. The project began when local rail enthusiast John Russell donated through last May’s Give Local Midland event that was earmarked for this project. Each year this event is made possible by the Midland Area Community Foundation and special recognition should be noted to Sharon Mortensen, Alysia Christy, and Raquel Brown of MACF for their help and guidance for us and many other nonprofit organizations throughout Midland County.
Sanford Historical Society President David Haskin headed up the project and the board retained artist Jim Perkins to do the painting. Jim previously performed the restoration work on the inside of our Bailey Chapel in 2022.
The caboose was built by the St. Louis Car Company for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and thanks to John’s exhaustive research work, we learned it was originally painted red. In the 1970s, the C&O, the B&O (Baltimore and Ohio), and Western Maryland Railway became part of the Chessie System. The primary color for the caboose was changed to yellow and it was that way when it was purchased and arrived on our campus in 1987. After much deliberation, it was decided to keep it yellow, and John provided a photo showing the color scheme and placement of the graphics on the caboose and the original numbers of 900951 were also reestablished.
Jim Perkins pictured, began priming and scraping in preparation for painting on September 13, 2024. Dave Haskin power washed and sealed areas of concern to help preserve the caboose.
Scaffolding was set up as a work platform for accessing the side of the car as Jim sanded and primed rusted areas while Dave spot repaired other rusted areas.
In addition to devoting many hours of labor to the project, Dave Haskin located the society’s original paperwork and a 1970 mechanical drawing of the caboose.
Contributor John Russell on the left congratulates SHS President David Haskin on the progress made on the restoration work.
Jim added a vermilion red stripe that John selected through his research of the color scheme.
Also assisting on the project were Chuck Dinsmore, Andy Barrera, and Richard Barrera working on the scaffolding.
A part of the restoration project included having upper stencils made for four areas.
The project wrapped up about October 12, 2024, and the improvements are immeasurable.
The Sanford Centennial Museum has a switch engine, a box car, and two cabooses on display.
