History of OR&W Caboose 33.

Bill Logan tells us more about Caboose 33....Caboose #33 was originally built in 1916 as a two axle 16-foot-long bobber by the Pennsy shops in Fort Wayne, Indiana similar to those built for the Waynesburg and Washington Railroad (see prototype drawing below) and shipped to the OR&W to replace an older OR&W short Caboose which was also numbered 33.


Waynesburg & Washington RR Bobber Caboose drawing circ 1983 - "Three Feet on the Panhandle": Here is a drawing of W&W RR Caboose #1000 that was the prototype for the Caboose #33 original 1916 bobber caboose version.

With the law changing in Ohio mandating Cabooses be two truck, minimum 24 foot long with cupola and toilets, Caboose 33 was sent back to the Fort Wayne Shops. Rather then build a new long caboose, the Fort Wayne Shops decided to extend the caboose from 16 to 24 feet. When the Caboose was returned to the OR&W in 1917, the caboose was 24 foot long with four-wheel trucks, a toilet, and retained all the details of the original Bobber.
Caboose #33 drawing, published in the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette 1997; pc EC/WRL: The drawing speaks for itself. Note the details - inset on both ends of the cabin for sidewall marker lights, mullioned cabin windows, a curved wall cupola, and front/ back red/white marker lights.

Caboose #33, Woodsfield west yard, circ 1918, pc HT/WRL

Caboose #33 body was bought in 1928 and converted into a Gas Station Office along SR 821 in Belle Valley. In this view you can see the faded paint on the South elevation that defines the original bobber caboose outline.


Caboose #33 Belle Valley, Ohio circ 1935: EC/HT/WRL.

When the Gas station closed, the Caboose functioned as a roadside hotdog/hamburger stand for a number of years with metal siding applied and the cupola removed.


Caboose #33 circa (date unknown): pc DA/WRL

From here the Caboose was sold again, mounted on a trailer pulled by a truck and functioned as a mobile food vendor until it was donated to the Noble County Historical Society for preservation and display.
Caboose 33 being resided in 2024. Jeff Minosky/ Noble County Historical Society Photo.