I have the chance to buy an actual caboose and was wondering what I will need to know, If anyone on here has done the same.
I have known people who acquired a caboose. You will need a place to put it. A stable base upon which it will sit. Depending upon where you live, etc, you might first need some sort of building permit. And the expensive part may be cost of moving it. A low boy, crane(s), etc. Then you might need to spend money for such as utility hookups and inspections, if you want power and even water, or a toilet.
Some (expensive) method to transport it to the location where you will place it, and a 100 ton or so crane to place it on the tracks you have laid there. This based on a friend who actually did this a couple of years ago.
Depending on the distance for your move, transportation could be the most expensive portion of your purchase. First of all, every 1:1 Scale caboose will be a Wide Load, possibly an Over Weight Load depending on its length, and most importantly an Over Height Load even with a Double-Drop Low-Boy. This last will require special routing and permits that are different for every state, full state, county, and local police escort, and weekday daylight running only. I don't know any details, but I've tried to convey the little I know of what my nephew's company requires when it handles special moves such as this. Definitely not for the faint of heart, or shallow pockets.
A REAL Caboose In Our Back Yard..........After We Win POWERBALL!!! About 15 years ago, I was in the Right place at the Right (?) time to purchase a surplus caboose from a railroad equipment dealer, who was selling a group of surplus cars, engines and equipment for a midwest railroad. I could get a caboose for about $5,000. The caboose was to be sold "WHERE IS, AS IS. It was up to me to arrange transport, set and anything else you could imagine to be involved with buying a full sized caboose. The Dealer estimated that I could get the caboose transport to my house for about $10,000. This estimate was way too LOW. And the fun began: 1) To get the caboose close to my house, rail transport would be the best way. WRONG This trip would involve 3 separate railroads, and not one of them would even consider hauling the caboose. REASON: Caboose was ridding on trucks with FRICTION BEARINGS. Have to be ROLLER BEARINGS on the axles or no haul. 2) Crane would be required at Railroad Yard to unload caboose off of track/trucks and load onto low-boy truck trailer for transport. Crane would also be required at house to unload trailer and position caboose on site. Platform would be required at house for the crane work off of. Platform has to be stable and support weight of crane and caboose ie: level base with 8"--10" gravel pad for support 3) Site work for platform with rail, ties and ballast that the caboose would sit on. Was lucky here: Friend had a D-7 I could borrow to do the site prep. Site work also included a short road for the crane and truck/trailer/caboose to get to caboose platform. After caboose was installed on platform, gravel road and platform w to be removed and grass regrown in area. 4) Permits: Needed for transport of OVERSIZE LOAD from rail yard to home. As the "crow flies" it was about 1 1/2 miles from rail yard to house, but being the movement was OVERSIZE, it was about a 7 mile trip. This involved DUKE Power Company, Indiana State Police and Jeffersonville Local Police. The City had no real objections to putting caboose in the back yard, it was considered a PORTABLE BUILDING! I figured it would cost $30,000+ to get from having NO caboose to having a full sized caboose in the back yard. This price didn't include A/C, power, water, and sewer connections. Needless to say, there is NO caboose in the backyard. And I'm still trying to win POWERBALL!
Our local museum was given a caboose and after some 17,000 dollars it was set in place. now the bad news. It was an old wood caboose and really bad shape with wood frame trucks that would literally not hold up the caboose. Now they are stuck with it and have run into Lead paint abatement issues before they can proceed with ANY restoration. If you get one MAKE SURE it is steel. Robin and I have considered it but would require 2 cranes and would have to be lifted over the house (insurance man having heart attack). Mike
It's about the same as moving a house - special trucks and trailers, clearances (legal and physical), and then an investment in where one will put the thing (base/foundation, utilities, etc.). The caboose may be cheap, but the rest needs mucho dinero. If you're lucky you might get your move featured on the Discovery Channel.
