Re: Silverton equipment display, 1967

The caboose was moved to that location about the time of the picture. What is interesting is the remains of the smoke jack and evidence of grab irons on top of the cupola. The couplers tacked onto the bottom of the car disappeared at some point, and would not have been accurate anyway as the car was never upgraded from link and pin. The chamber of commerce owned the caboose and was establishing its information booth there, having moved from the boxcar across the highway in the center of the US 550 wye. They then moved the boxcar to the other side of the 2 tank cars thus creating a sort of train. Some years later, after the chamber moved the caboose up to what we call "potty park," on Blair Street, the owners of the Phillips 66 station sold the 2 tank cars to Bradshaw's D&S and managed to claim title to the boxcar and sold it along with the tank cars which was moved to the depot where it sits today. I recall the boxcar being donated to the chamber back in 1957 by the D&RGW who pushed it off the end of tracks on 12th Street.The car had serious problems with its trucks and was slated for scrapping when the chamber came looking for a donation. The brake rigging is still messed up. The Phillips station along with the adjacent Shell station were razed to make way for the no-brand service station now in that space.

The two tank cars were standard gauge and moved to Silverton on narrow gauge trucks. I think I photographed them first about 1966 on my way through Silverton on my way home from the Army. The D&S has used them as water cars for fire fighting use since buying them.