Southern Pacific Caboose #1000
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Southern Pacific caboose #1000 -- is the first in a line of hundreds of all-steel cabooses built by Southern Pacific at the Los Angeles General Shops. SP #1000 was built in June 1938 at a cost of $3,457.00.
While working on the Southern Pacific this caboose spent most of the time in service between Sparks , Nevada and Ogden , Utah . Routine maintenance and repairs were performed at SP's shops at Sparks and Carlin, Nevada . Apparently this caboose did not receive electric lights until about 1957. Seen here at Pomona, Ca. in 1962.
Up until 1975 the OCE was jointly owned and operated by the Burlington Northern (previously Great Northern) and Southern Pacific Railroads. The SP 1000 caboose was one of the four cabooses included in the sale when Weyerhaeuser took over the railroad on January 1, 1975. Two of these cabooses, including the SP 1000, were assigned to OCE and painted green. The other two were assigned the the Weyerhaeuser woods line and painted yellow. When Weyerhaeuser painted the renumbered the OCE cabooses in 1975 or 1976 they also replaced the original wood framed windows with the current sealed plexiglass windows. This caboose was only in OCE green paint for about 5 years before it was donated to the Southern Oregon Chapter. Other than painting it a different color and lettering it OC&E #2001, the railroad installed all-weather windows in the cupola. The original tongue-and-groove floor is covered by plywood, but overall the interior is in good shape. The exterior shows the scars of years of logging service.
Copyright 2023 by the Southern Oregon Railway Historical Society
In September 1980 the OC&E donated this caboose to the Southern Oregon Chapter and it was placed on display inside the Medford Railroad Park . We plan to restore #1000 back to its Southern Pacific appearance as see in the 1962 photo at the top of this page.
On the OC&E before the windows were replaced
On the OC&E after the windows were replaced
Shortly after SP 1000 went to the OC&E it was renumbered 1 but still retained its SP lettering and paint. As seen here on the OC&E near Sycan, Oregon.
The Oregon , California & Eastern (OC&E) was a logging railroad that once operated between Klamath Falls and Bly , Oregon . There was additional trackage from Sycan to the loading camps in the woods. The railroad shut down operations in May 1990.
Photo: L. Calioa, John C. La Rue collection
Southern Oregon Railway Historical Society
A Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society
