The Last Survivor
By 1984, the Akron, Canton & Youngstown Railroad (1907–1982), once a proud fixture of Northeast Ohio’s rail network, had disappeared into Norfolk Southern’s growing empire. While most AC&Y cabooses had already been reduced to scrap, #63 survived. This 1947 steel cupola caboose, built by International Car Company, owed its reprieve to the determined volunteers of the Copley Historical Society. Through their efforts, the caboose escaped the cutting torch and found permanent sanctuary beside the Society’s beautifully restored Copley Depot.
A Labor of Love
Preserving a caboose requires grit and cash, especially when battling decades of wear. Even the sturdy steel construction of #63 couldn’t withstand the passage of time without showing its age. By 2009, years of exposure to the elements had left the old workhorse in desperate need of attention. The restoration proved both challenging and costly, with sandblasting, metalwork, and repainting expenses surpassing $18,000. CHS stretched every dollar to ensure the job was done right.
Preserving Every Detail
Restoration efforts were done in collaboration with the AC&Y Historical Society. The groups dedicated rail buffs meticulously researched authentic paint colors and recreated period-accurate stencils, ensuring every detail from the lettering’s font and position would match the caboose’s glory days.
There’s poetic justice in #63’s current home – the same rails it once patrolled lay just a few yards from it’s current display track, although today those rails are operation by the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway.
Visit a Piece of History
The caboose stands as a proud landmark at 3770 Copley Road, where visitors can admire a piece of railroad history that refused to fade away.