New Jersey Museum of Transportation starts restoration of Central Railroad of New Jersey caboose

The Pine Creek Railroad of the New Jersey Museum of Transportation (NJMT) has started the operational restoration process of a Central Railroad of New Jersey caboose. The car, numbered 91245, started life in 1874 as a boxcar but it and serval others were converted to wooden cabooses in the early 1900s.

The car worked was in service up until the 1970s, working just miles from the NJMT on the Southern Secondary. The caboose was purchased in the 1980s and joined the museum’s collection, next to sister caboose 91155. Although 91155 has been operational and is a mainstay on the railroad’s excursion trains, 91245 has rested in the car barn.

In February 2024 the caboose was moved from the car barn to the shop, with restoration beginning immediately after. Several documents were found in the desk, including drill slips and weigh car forms. These will be digitized, preserved, and used to tell the history of the surrounding railroads.

Image from the NJMT Facebook page

Learn more

NJMT Facebook page detailing the restoration
First restoration post