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During the decade from 1950 to 1960, the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE) retired 24 standard wood cabooses and 16 wood transfer cabooses.
In 1960, the P&LE acquired ten additional steel bay window cabooses from the Morison International Corporation (better known as International Car). The first of these new cabooses, numbered 510-514, was delivered in March 1960, while the remaining cars, numbered 515-519, were delivered in December of that year.
Despite the addition of 10 new bay window cabooses in 1960 and 20 all-steel transfer cabooses in 1966 and 1967, the P&LE’s total number of cabooses was on the decline as the railroad continued to retire its fleet of wood cabooses. In 1976, the P&LE added eleven additional steel cabooses through the purchase of CA-4 cabooses from the Union Pacific.
Source
Kline, Polaritz, & Sparico. (2012, July). Bay Window Cabooses of the P&LE. The Little Giant, 6(3,4).
P&LE Bay Window Cabooses
| Car Number | Last Known Location | Additional Details |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | Hollidaysburg, PA | Kiski Junction KJR 5 > Everett Railroad 500 |
| 501 | Sugarcreek, OH | OHCR in 2005 > Age of Steam |
| 502 | Coshocton, OH | Little Beaver Creek Valley > Mill Creek Central RR |
| 503 | > Ohio Central | |
| 504 | Dubois, PA | The Little Giant – Caboose Inn @ Doolittle Station |
| 505 | > Ohio Central | |
| 506 | Youngstown, Oh | Mahoning Valley Railroad Heritage Assoc. |
| 507 | Scrapped | Destroyed in a P&LE accident |
| 508 | Strasburg, PA | Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania |
| 509 | ||
| 510 | ||
| 511 | ||
| 512 | Little Beaver Creek Valley | |
| 513 | Purchased for Caboose Falls > New Castle Industrial Railroad > Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad #300 | |
| 514 | ||
| 515 | ||
| 516 | Schenley, PA | Purchased for Caboose Falls > New Castle Industrial Railroad > Kiski Junction > Unknown |
| 517 | Youngstown, OH (2010) | Little Beaver Creek Valley > OHCR in 2005 |
| 518 | New Castle, PA | Caboose Falls |
| 519 |
Thank you to Charlie Bowyer for helping me fill in some of the holes.
P&LE CA-4 Cabooses
P&LE Transfer Cabooses
| Car Number | Last Known Location | Additional Details |
|---|---|---|
| 550 | ||
| 551 | Scrapped? | Presumably Scrapped – B&R Welding Indiana, PA |
| 552 | Scrapped? | Presumably Scrapped – Kovalchick Salvage |
| 553 | Byesville, OH | Worked on the Ohio Central (OHCR 553) before being sold to the Byesville Scenic Railway. As of 2024, the car sits idle at Byesville. |
| 554 | ||
| 555 | ||
| 556 | Scrapped? | Presumably Scrapped – B&R Welding Indiana, PA |
| 557 | ||
| 558 | ||
| 559 | ||
| 560 | ||
| 561 | ||
| 562 | ||
| 563 | ||
| 564 | ||
| 565 | New Castle, PA | Caboose Falls |
| 566 | Youngstown, OH | Mahoning Valley Railroad Heritage Assoc. |
| 567 | ||
| 568 | ||
| 569 |