What would you do with a former railroad caboose? Appearing to have been parked (sided?) for years or maybe decades, we don’t know too much about the history of this 1956 Milwaukee Road Caboose. It can be found listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, and the seller is asking $27,500. Here is the original listing. I couldn’t pass this up when I saw it, being a huge fan of everything railroad-related. Let’s check out this nice caboose! (awkward)
I know I yammer about poor photo quality too much, but this is yet another example of a seller taking vertical (not bitter) photos of a vehicle, this time, a 34-foot railroad caboose. Vertical photos. Let that sink in for a second. This is not a vertical vehicle. If there was ever a horizontal thing to take horizontal photos of, this is it. So, I apologize in advance for the poor quality photos of what could have been a very, very cool ride through history here. Also, there are hardly any photos at all, really only three, plus an interior photo. Two interior photos, if you count the replacement stove, which burns wood in this case, as opposed to the original fuel oil furnace. I’m bummed to not see the iconic Milwaukee Road logo on the bumpouts, below the windows on each side. Maybe they’re just faded; it’s hard to tell because the seller took the photos from so far away.
This is the other side of this former Milwaukee Road caboose, and some close-up photos would have been wonderful. We can’t see any numbers to identify this car, and the signs on the side don’t do that. But, they appear to show a manufacture date of 11-56, and a last-inspected date of 12-74.
The caboose is said to have made its appearance on railroad tracks way back in 1837, and this car has been off the rails for five+ decades, about as long as I have been. This caboose was considered modern in 1956 when the Milwaukee Road ordered 100 of these cars, likely from Thrall Car Manufacturing Company out of Chicago Heights, IL. This one may be relegated to three scenarios: 1) Staying right where it is, as $27,500 isn’t exactly inexpensive. 2) Becoming someone’s unique hunting shack or even a VRBO or other rental. 3) Sadly, being scrapped. I hope #3 doesn’t win out.
The seller shows this photo of it being moved (after the trucks/wheels were removed underneath), and I’m assuming this was before it made it to its current location on the side of a gravel country road. Older caboose designs often included a cupola on top so the crew could watch out for trouble when they weren’t playing cards. Just kidding, I’m sure they worked hard while on duty. They’d need to be able to see ahead to watch for smoke from a sticking brake or worn wheel bearing, which would cause a fire. Newer cabooses had bump-out or bay windows as seen here, as their overall height had been creeping up over the decades, and adding a usable cupola to the top would have put it over height limits. This one is all steel construction; this isn’t a wood-sided caboose as would have been seen a decade or two prior to 1956, such as this early one shown here on Barn Finds back in 2017.
The interior looks surprisingly nice, although this is really the only interior photo for some reason. I mean, you’re selling a caboose for $27k, so load up the maximum number of photos allowable. I must be the weird one, as the vast majority of sellers don’t seem to even consider that showing more photos makes for a better and easier sale, and more interested parties. Old cabooses were commonly known as a “crummy,” as in a crackerbox on wheels with no amenities. Pages 12 and 13 of this 1956 Milwaukee Road Magazine go into a bit more detail about the 100 new cabooses the company ordered.
This one is definitely not a cigar box or a crummy. It should have a small bathroom (a photo would have been nice), a two-way radio for communicating with the engine, a small area for cooking, electric lights, and a bed or bunk beds. It appears to have an old refrigerator as well, a common feature. The interior is said to be 8 feet by 30 feet. I could easily live in there and still have room for a few motorcycles.
This isn’t the engine, despite it being the last place on a Scotty G article. This is what’s said to be a replacement stove that took over for the original stove, powered by fuel oil. They give some specs in their listing: this caboose is 34.5 feet long, but the couplings on each end add just over five feet to the length. It’s also just over 10 feet wide, including the 12″ wide bay windows on each side, and is 12 feet high, plus 16″ for the roof handrail. It also weighs an incredible 52,000 pounds, and it has to be moved by the buyer. Would any of you have a creative use for this nice-looking caboose?
Very interesting write-up SG. I enjoy seeing the occasional non-automotive transportation conveyance. I went back and read the write-up from 2017; I guess I should not be surprised that there is a hobby built around buying/selling/restoring rail cars. I like the VRBO or hunting shack idea; maybe combine the two?
Oh, by the way, Scottie. You are correct about the term crummy. Many years ago when my kids were small we went to a Railway museum that had more rolling stock than I have ever seen at a museum. (Portola CA) And my father was with us. (Dad used to work for the Illinois Central) He made sure that my children called the caboose the crummy. He explained it that no one ever took responsibility for the neatness or cleanliness and the filth just kept building up. Hence the name “crummy”. When in high-school I used to race “The City of New Orleans” down US 54 to see if I could cross over the uncontrolled crossing before it got there. It was a pretty good race as because in that stretch it rolled at 90 MPH. Only one time I didn’t have enough guts to cross over because it was too close to chance it. Otherwise it would have been a ’55 Chev convertible pile of junk.
Don’t see the price but admit to being a railroad freak, the real thing or toy trains. Wife and her family were all railroaders and I started out at 6 with electric trains. We even took a major detour going cross country to see the “Big Boy” engine in Wyoming. Any way you look at it I am still fascinated with trains.
Oh, I’d love to see that. Apparently, it is making a cross country trek from WY. to CAL. for the 250th anniversary, but not in Colorado. I too am fascinated with steam rail, and took out every book our library had on them.
Drove down to Illinois in July 2019 to see Big Boy. Worth every minute, folks from all over. You really can’t imagine how huge it is. Take the time and effort Howard, you’ll thank yourself.
Big Boy is on the rails currently headed east for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Visit http://www.up.com and see the 2026 schedule. Depending where you live you might have a chance to see it.
There’s one at Steamtown, in Scranton, PA.
If you get up close to Big Boy the pure size of the thing will blow you away.
Damn, just missed it in Roseville. I didn’t know this was happening.
Jay Leno did an hour-long episode of his streaming “Garage” show on the UP Big Boy, showing that he loves all things mechanical and not just cars:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YMAqqCYe00
Don’t get out to Colorado much? This kind of stuff is all over, in fact, this could be the Ritz-Carlton for someone. Imagination runs wild here, and I could easily see someone turning this into a home. In an odd coincidence, our little town had a caboose from the Rio Grande, on display, but fell into disrepair. It cost the city a whopping $175,000 bucks to have it restored. There’s money in Colorado, except me and that’s okay.
A caboose served a vital function, where brakemen would spend days on the rail. There was no electronic communication, and the brakeman had a huge responsibility. It was his job to view the train from those side windows, to look for derail or brake fires. They had lanterns or flags to signal the engineer. Modern electronics eliminated the caboose in the 80s, now just a red light on the back. I hope this generates Milwaukee Road stories. Don’t actually remember ever riding on a train, but the Milwaukee Road was HUGE, and had a magnificent train station in downtown Milwaukee lakefront,,, fell to the wrecking ball.
Now, bear with me, rail story. Every year, I would go to FL. in Feb. and met some great people. One elderly couple was Ed and Doris LaRue. They were from NJ. and a wonderful couple. Get this, Ed, was a paratrooper over Japan, did 5 drops, which is incredible enough, when he got back from the war, he got a job at Penn Central,,,and for the next 45 years, he was the guy that uncoupled the hitches and brake hose. He said, he would ride in the caboose for a full day and night, turn around and come back. He was a great guy.
Howard, you must have experienced the Cumbres & Toltec Steam train out your way. We took it from New Mexico.
https://cumbrestoltec.com/
The lakefront station was Chicago & Northwestern’s. Milwaukee Road’s was downtown, replaced in the 1960s.
Well written, Howard. Thank you.
Kurt
I grew up in a R.R. family. My dad had a 46 year career and had been a past president of the United Railroad Veterans Association. During the 1940’s he was Motive Power Inspector for the Eastern and Western Divisions of the B&O. He held a Pass valid for the family throughout the entire B&O System. Pass holders are required to yield seating to fare paying passengers. On one Holiday trip our family of four boarded a packed long haul train. Only one unassigned seat was available. My dad saw that my mom was seated and then spoke with the Conductor who advised that additional seating would be available at the next station stop. After further discussion, a temporary solution was found for the seating problem. My dad instructed my older brother and me as to what we had to do. We followed my dad forward through other coaches and the baggage car to the B unit and then into an EMD Model A diesel locomotive cab (EMD Model A was the first streamlined diesel to be operated on any road. A few years earlier, dad and a couple other B&O mechanical engineers had been loaned to General Motors Electro-Motive Division to further develop their diesel locomotives.). A view from the cab of a of mainline locomotive enroute to another station was an amazing thrill for this then 8 year old!
BTW, during the 1960’s my Army MOS was 661, Locomotive Engineer.
Over the years, my dad had collected a ton of R.R. memorabilia. After his passing, we donated much of it to the B&O Museum, The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Steamtown NHS and a couple of smaller museums. My brother and I did keep two locomotive bells and some Parlor Car mahogany paneling and furniture.
Oh, your friend Ed did very well for himself. A traincrew’s pay was based on an 8 hour day or 200 miles, whichever came first. 201 miles in one day= two days pay.
Not just CO. In Florence, NJ years ago people did that, lived in a caboose along side the semi-active RR tracks. If memory serves me, it was backed up to an old small station building to add some sq footage.
Then, not sure if it was that caboose or maybe another, one was part of a restaurant on the highway in Yardville, NJ.
Our dream vacation is to take the train cross country through the northern Rockies.
So no free shipping on this?
Hahaha
This is great!! I also looked at the caboose from 2017, my heart sank seeing that. I’m really hoping that this gets a new life as a rental or what-have-you. To have this caboose parked in your back yard you’d sure be the talk of the town. The old Railroad Crossing sign is perfect for this too. Thanks Scotty for doing the research and posting that old magazine article as well. It reminded me of my Grandfathers Step Dad. I only saw him a few times as a little kid, he worked on the Erie railroad, the Newburgh NY branch. Unfortunately, thats all I know. This is great Scotty. Thank you…
( wait, no convertible version Scotty???)
Make a Air BNB out of it like in this video. Extra income. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In-ZInK8v-s&t=222s
I love trains but need to draw the line at the ones I can pack up in a plastic tub, courtesy of Rubbermaid, and be able to pack them away. Over the years, Mikenzie and I have amassed a sizeable Christmas village that has grown to include no less than (3) trains–with (3) cabooses. I’ve had them running through tunnels and under mountains, but mostly to entertain the people that come to our place to visit during the Holidays. The HO Scale, electric trains are addicting, as are our growing collection of lighted houses. It was a real heart-breaker not to set it up this year. I sure hope that, good Lord willing, we can set it up again next season, and all the seasons after that…
That looks like an awesome setup geomechs. My grandfather had a two train setup in his basement with hills and one tunnel along with a small community of cars, buildings and people. I used to love seeing it run when we’d go up for Christmas or Thanksgiving but after he passed my dad gave it to the Plainview (NE) Historic Museum and to my knowledge it’s still there today. I would’ve loved to have had it but perhaps one day I’ll build one of my own like you did.
Thanks for the compliment, John. When I was a kid, before the days of the shopping malls, the stores in the downtown business districts would set up some fantastic window displays. Ever one of them had a train. Our next door neighbor built one in his family room that he could let down from the ceiling.
Well, my wife and I got invited to a neighboring village Christmas dinner and charity auction at their community center. It turned out that the center also had a thrift store. A lady had recently moved into the senior’s lodge and had about 10 high-end HO sized houses for sale.
We made an offer which was accepted. Down to the lumber yard for a 4×8 sheet of plywood and our village was born.
Through the course of the next year we expanded to include another 4×8 sheet of plywood, and our first train. We soon realized that we needed more space for the train to turn around, so that included another sheet of plywood.
Full steam ahead. The Mountain village, the Ice Palace, the carnival, 2 more trains and a streetcar. Oh, and don’t forget the drive in theater where we show a Christmas movie on the (I-pad) screen.
Yes, it takes on a life of its own. It’s a lot of work but the best part about it is showing it to others…
With the non matching numbers stove and no mention of a 4 speed, think it is overpriced. 😬
The “1837” date is obviously a typo. There weren’t any railroads (or white settlers) in Wisconsin then. The Milwaukee started with bay window cabooses in the 1930s or ’40s, building most in its own shops in its namesake city.
Steve, 1837 wasn’t the first Wisconsin caboose, it was just reportedly the first caboose, in general. I don’t realize that I inferred that this caboose was that old?
Fantastic story,Scotty. 1837 sounds like the right date for the first steam engine in England. This was the first thing England invented before the U.S.. Even if Fulton was the the first with a steam engine.Up the Hudson,I think?
I was just driving through Northfield, NH a few hours ago and for at least the last quarter century there have been about 20 of them parked on a siding there. I don’t know if they’re vacation shacks or part of an enthusiast’s collection but it’s always exciting for an old train buff and ex model railroader/collector (like myself) to see them still there! I hope someone will take this on-they are part of our heritage and should be preserved.
Uncle got a Union Pacific reefer boxcar for free back in the 80s. Just had to find a guy crazy enough to haul it up about 5 miles off grid to a spot on his 40ac. Over the years he decked it out and lived in it. He passed away so my new girlfriend, now wife lived in it for a few years and then built out a school bus to live in on our own property. Good times in off grid Colorado!
Waaaiiit a minute, how could you be “off grid” and be here? Off grid can’t be done in Colorado, you have to go to the UP of Mich. for that. :)
Some great, interesting write-ups,Howard. They should hire you.There,s a ton of old steam engines in Colorado.I remember going to the small gauge train museum in /or near Durango,Co.. It’s one of the only places they didn’t rust away
There was a spell in the 1980s and 1990s when a willing buyer could have acquired a surplus caboose from a railroad or its brokers for a mere $3-4,000, basically the value of the scrap metal. In that era, thousands of cabooses nationwide were snapped up for every imaginable form of adaptive reuse or museum preservation. Many cabooses ended up beside local station museums, others as small stores or cafes, others set up in quantity as motels, and yet others as what we now call “man caves” in rail buffs’ backyards, or set up as guest cottages. There are/were strings of cabooses set up as “party cabooses” at certain stadiums and big restaurants, or as “mini-malls” of small shops.
The down side is that these cars usually have little to no insulation or climate control, and that subsequently has to be added by new owners to what is otherwise a hot/cold steel box. Also necessary to be fitted are toilets, showers, and sinks bigger than RV fixtures. (Toilets in most cabooses were nothing more than a hole over the tracks!)
We’re now entering a new wave of caboose resales and relocations as past owners retire or die off, and new prospective owners pop up wanting their own railroad relic or AirB&B. As unreasonable as it sounds for those of us who have been in the rail preservation trenches for decades, $25,000 is floating around the “average” price for such cars in intact condition (with wheels, etc.) with no major rust or structural issues. But much like buying a boat or classic car, that’s only the start. Expect relocation, site prep, application of HVAC, local permits (some will clain you’re parking an RV illegally), etc. to add another 50-100%.
I’ve personally participated in the acquisition and relocation of several such cabooses; I’m currently watching two being fixed up as AirB&Bs.
Hey, I’m old enough where I’ve USED on-board toilets where whizzing (pun?) crossties were visible below. Grew up on an Erie stepchild, the NYNJRR and rode Pennsy/Southern/N&W from Grand Central to Christiansburg, VA… sometimes, from Lynchburg west, behind N&W’s J-Class in-house (as opposed to outhouse?) designed/built locos. Once in a while while waiting for the Powhatan Arrow to take me to DC I’d have the privilege of watching a load of coal pulled and pushed by N&W’s A-Class articulated locos over C’burg mountain where, once crested, a crewman on the pilot would uncouple the pusher… on the fly! Yippee!
Great memories. Oh, yes; standing on the rear platform of a Pennsy coach going toward Trenton I’ve clocked mileposts ripping past in a mere FORTY SECONDS! And this was early 1950s.
Uncle in Batesville, Indiana used to take me to the station to watch the Dwit Clinton train from Chicago south going though at 90 mph and leaving a dust cloud over the whole town.
Excellent addition to the BF consortium, Scotty! Grandad was a conductor on the Chicago & Illinois Central, and while staying with them in Springfield it was always a special summer with an occasional ride in the caboose so again this hit an old memory in a good way. Thank you sir.
If you’re a caboose fan and out on I-5 in Northern California near Dunsmuir looking for a unique place to stay try this-https://www.jubileerailroad.com/cabooses-and-cabins
12 or 13 as I recall!
You know how to pick ‘em SG
There’s at least 2 train motels in Dunsmuir (south of Mt Shasta) and I heard of a third (but can’t confirm it) somewhere between Dunsmuir and Weed.
Back in the late 1960’s, one of my Dad’s friends bought one of these from our local railroad. He got some loggers to haul it to his 40 acres out in the woods. Set it up as his hunting cabin. Evidently it worked pretty well. It’s still there… his nephew owns it now.
Laughing! there’s one up here in Alaska at a local city that they have been trying to give away with no offers. It’s been over a year now…
Worth it, just for that pot-bellied stove!
The short wheelbase caboose is much more popular. These train cars with less of a following will be listed for quite a while. It is within 500 miles of several million people and yet hasn’t sold. There is nicer rolling stock at this price point.
You railroad guys need to come to Roanoke, Virginia to visit the Virginia Museum of Transportation. It’s the finest collection in the country. Google it.
Just to see the 611 steam powered streamliner locomotive is worth the trip.
I can’t afford to drop that kind of money for this then have it shipped out to middle Idaho, but I think it would be kind fun to have it and set up my HO gauge train set inside
That would be a perfect backdrop…
Try this state park in Nebraska, west of Omaha. They have ten caboose cabins. They have 4 bunkbeds, a bunk up in the cupola, a little kitchen area, bathroom and a deck out back. Stayed there once and always meant to go again, but you know how it goes.,,,,,
https://outdoornebraska.gov/location/two-rivers/
Back in the early 80s, I had an A-frame on 10 acres near the Royal Gorge in Canon City, CO. In Denver (2.5 hours away), there was a wrecked caboose for sale. It had one end smashed from the collision and needed a fair amount of work. It did not come with the wheels so I would have had to pay to have it transported and placed as well. I decided against the purchase but always regretted it somewhat. Looking back, I should bought it.
Just to show off another example of how cabooses get preserved and “adaptively reused,” here’s the latest story (dateline a few hours ago) on a caboose that had been moved to private property and used as dormitory space for students at a nearby college for decades before being returned to a preserved section of its original railroad to be put back into service–not that this specific caboose is even smaller and more claustrophobic than most cabooses in railroad service were:
https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/storied-caboose-returns-to-durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad/
Thanks for posting this. My great grandfather helped build the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge RR and then worked for them, and a friend of mine also taught at Fort Lewis College so I’m going to stop by and see if I can check it out the next time I go up to Pagosa Springs.
When a little guy I (my Dad too) had an Anerican flyer set up in the basement.(a put an 8’x8′ setup) So I have been a railroad guy my whole life. Dad worked part time as a switch man in the yards. For The Illinois Central. Nevadahalfrack and I went last week to see The BigBoy while it was parked at Portola (California) Rail Museum for the day. ONE BIG HUNK OF MECHANICAL MAYHEM! And yes I bought a Big Boy T-shirt! A good friend and former customer of mine has a very nice spread in the Sierra foot hills south of Carson City. He has his own caboose all decked out as a poker parlor. You have to walk across an old railroad flat car thatvis used as/for a bridge over a ravine to get-to the the caboose. It is very cool. He had an artist paint a picture that he has hanging in the caboose of a very well endowed nude women and had him put his wife’s head on it. Although is wife is very attractive, “she ain’t built like that!”
I don’t know who trained you Scotty, but you’re really on track with this one. Some writers go a little off the rails but not you. You always manage to engineer an informative and entertaining piece, and tie in your personal experiences. Hopefully I’m not crossing into too much levity for BarnFinds…
Have a good day!
~Lothar
I’m goin’ off the rails on the crazy train,,,RIP Ozzy,,
That was very well written Lothar!!!
Ha, nice, Lothar! There is no such thing as too much “levity,” at least for me. It’s much better than being steamed up… er…
The local land fill has a place, on Saturdays, where people can bring in or take items that they think are too good to trash. On Fridays they used to show in the paper what was there. Years ago it said there was a caboose available. I drove by even though the “swap shop” was closed. I didn’t see any full size cabooses. Maybe it was a model?
On Saturday I was there when it opened and asked about the caboose? I was told to return around 10 am when the woman that had it would be there.
She told me where it was and that they lived in it while their house was being built.
I immediately drove there. It wasn’t a caboose, but it was an old wooden box car and it was rotting and falling apart!
Rats!
It would seem that all the interest that this thing has generated is mostly nostalgia and comments about interesting train related attractions, but I ain’t seein’ a whole lot of buyin’ interest, which doesn’t surprise me.
I have actually seen a couple of pretty neat ones that have been converted to living quarters, but I’m afraid that at 27K plus shipping there just isn’t much to like here.
I used to see the Big Boy that’s running now at the LA County Fairgrounds in Pomona when I was a kid. There’s also a 3 cylinder SP locomotive and a Union Pacific 4-12-2.
The Big Boy will also visit the east coast in June, but I’ll be in Europe.
I now live in VT. There was a man who made a fortune selling frozen fish. He began a train collection just north of Bellows Falls, VT. He acquired a Big Boy. Bellows Falls has a train tunnel running underneath the town. But the Big Boy was too big to go through it. So it went through Keene, NH.
Unfortunately, the man died in a small plane crash. And the collection was split up. That Big Boy is now at Steamtown in Scranton, PA.
you would be at 30k+ to buy and move it.
I don’t think that 3K would even be in the ballpark for moving this thing. I would imagine that crane rental on both ends of the journey would be close to 10K.
There are ways to transport this thing without cranes. Some of these have been transported on “roll-on, roll-off” trailers, but this assumes the wheels roll and you have enough vertical clearance. Another option is to jack the caboose up off the trucks (RR term for the wheelsets), roll out the wheels, and roll a trailer underneath it. Either way, you’ll need another trailer for the wheelsets.
That being said, most of the work for such moves is the fine detail of the prep work. The last move I worked with entailed a price of about $10,000 for cranes at each end, two trailers, and trucking across four states. In my experience, 90% of the cost is simply the loading and the trailers, and the overall price doesn’t vary much whether it’s across town or across several states.
It would make a pretty badass tiny home too!!
This is very cool!!
Being from LA, I grew up watching Engineer Bill (remember “red light, green light”?), a lunchtime kids show, and always wanted to own my own train one day. Well, the world’s running out of old trains and I’m running out of days… better get cracking while I can. Maybe time to take another trip up to Dunsmuir while I’m still young at heart. 😁
I’d forgotten about Engineer Bill. I loved that show. I grew up in Pasadena. The Santa Fe went through town on the way to Chicago, but there were also UP and SP freight lines. I can remember seeing an SP steam engine going right down the middle of arroyo parkway.
My wife grew up in Temple City and one of her favorites was Engineer Bill also. (Channel 9?)
She was telling me about green light red light and drinking your milk when I came up to your comments. We both love trains and a few years ago took a train ride from Georgia to Northern Nevada. (where we live) The first train change was Washington DC. So for $25 you can spend as much time there as you want and then get back on the train to continue on. The next train change happens in Chicago. Same situation, only I grew up there. So I was the tour guide. Also had a picnic with cousins that I hadn’t seen for close to 50 years. And the stop in Denver was at 8AM, so the ride through the Rockies was a joy to see. All in all a great trip. (Food on train is terrible expensive so bring your own as we did.)
Does it run? And if so, what kind of MPG does it get?
Just the thing to get Mother-in-law out of the house. The bed looks comfy enough for her just the way it is pictured. I would even dump a load of coal beside it for her heating needs.
How about a locomotive to go with it?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1325150593047703/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=marketplace_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks
Yeah, this was discussed amongst the knowledgeable on some RR forums a short while ago.
You REALLY don’t want this one. Imagine a rattle-can-painted ’57 Chevy shell minus engine and transmission……..
Pretty cool but the shipping cost.
Years ago, maybe mid ’70s , I had a D O T physical in Lakeland Florida at Dr. West’s converted caboose . When I had to run in place the whole caboose shook . Also there ( 1980’s -1990’s )was a hair salon in Narrowsburg New York that was set up in a Caboose by the stylist, the woman doing the styling & haircutting had it set up with a view overlooking the Big Eddy on the Delaware River between N.Y. & Pennsylvania . She gave very good haircuts BTW .
geomechs, I know all about collections taking on a life of their own.
A few years after we had moved and my (and my Dad’s) built in train set was sold with the house. Dad and I got into slot cars. It got to the point that my Mom wouldn’t even go into my bed room. Only because my Dad 1. Had more money than me and 2. Walked by the hobby shop everyday on the way to and from the office from the commuter Illinois Central train. That I think he was hooked more than me. My wife has been collecting very small pieces for our Micro/N gauge to build a setup under our glass top coffee table. We have a large walkway between the living room and the great room. Where large live edge shelves contain 2 of the Jim Beam collector decanter trains. (If you have never seen them you can’t tell that they are decanters without holding it in your hand and looking very closely. They look cool up on the shelves. (And no, I haven’t drank any of the booze. They are still full!)
Hi Wayne. I sure wish you wouldn’t have brought up the idea of the Jim Beam decanter train. I googled some images and have now come across something else to collect. Some collections for sale. Looks very tempting…
We were missing a couple of cars and track to fill up the shelf a n d I was) looking on Craigslist. The cars average about $100. each. I found a guy a couple of hundred miles from me that had the a complete train with track (still not having all the cars but having a couple that we didn’t have) for $100. (bottles were empty) I called the guy and said we would take it and my brother in law would be calling to pick it up. I then called the BIL to ask if he would pick it up for me. He not only agreed but picked it up and drove all the way to deliver in to us the same day. So that is how we ended up with 2 JB trains.