Friday, March 14, 1997      The Oak Ridger

OS caboose restored to original state

Southern Railway Caboose X574 was built in June 1971. Charles Poling and Chris Williams of the East Tennessee Rail Car Service of Knoxville have spent the last eight months restoring the caboose to its original condition for the Oliver Springs Historical Society. C.S. Harvey Jr., chairman of the historical society, presented the check to them for the caboose's restoration.

The caboose was a gift from the Norfolk Southern Corp. Restoration included sand blasting, side sheet repair, new safety glass windows, painting, lettering and stenciling. All work was done according to original railroad drawings.

The Oliver Springs Historical Society plans to open a railroad museum. Donations will be accepted for a walkway and ramp.

Although the X574 caboose is typical of most of Southern's cabooses from 1965 to the present, very few railroads still use them. The caboose was equipped with a water cooler, ice bunker, coal stove and a conductor's desk and also with spare air brake hoses, brake shoes and tools necessary to change both.

Cabooses also had flagging kits that included red flags, flares and torpedoes. A torpedo is an explosive device that was placed on top of the rail. When the train rolls over the torpedo, it explodes and may warn of another train ahead. They were most commonly used by track supervisors to remind or warn of men working on the track ahead.