Refurbishing Heritage Village caboose will be first project in long-term building maintenance plan
Once upon a time, the “Little Red Caboose” was the traditional “end-of-the-line” for every freight train traveling the tracks.
But now, at least at Heritage Village – the last shall be first. That is, the first dedicated refurbishing project in what will be a long-term building maintenance plan for the special village that preserves the area’s past for the future. Estimates for the refurbishing are approximately $10,000.
Heritage Village Board Members have decided to place the Great Northern Railway caboose at the top of the “fix-up” list and is holding a fundraiser for the project. With a $5 donation (or more) the donor will receive a caboose pin. Pins will be available during this year’s 81st Mountain Lake Pow Wow at the Heritage Village-sponsored “malt shop” trailer or may be purchased at any time from any board member.
Board members include President Mike Nelson (who replaces the late Alvin Dick), Erland Braun, Bill Baerg, Jim Crawford, Curt Fast, Harvey Buller, Jim Dick, Marilyn Feil, Martin Quintero, Betty Lou Ratzloff, Geneva Stoesz and Miranda Stoesz.
Matching funds/grants for the project will also be sought.
Cabooses provided shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were required for switching and shunting, and to keep a lookout for load shifting, damage to equipment and cargo or overheating axles. Designs were originally modified box cars or flatbed cars carrying a cabin, but later became specialized vehicles, with projections above or to the sides of the car so crew could observe the train from shelter. The car also served as the conductor’s office, and on long routes, included accommodation and cooking facilities.
Cabooses were used on every freight train until the 1980s, when safety laws requiring the presence of cabooses and full crews were relaxed. Developments in monitoring and safety technology, such as lineside defect detector and flashing rear-end devices (FREDs), combined with the desire for railroad companies to save money by reducing crew numbers resulted in the phasing out of caboose cars.
The Great Northern Railway caboose on the tracks at Heritage Village weights 20 tons. It served the Burlington Northern Railroad for many years and was moved to its home at Heritage Village in 1978. The local “Little Red Caboose” was listed in the Minnesota Railroad Guide in April 2001.
It sits in a perfect setting adjacent to The Depot – the original Mountain Lake Depot that was once located just south of First Avenue – and the railroad tracks – and near 10th Street.. When the Northwestern Railroad closed its southern Minnesota route in 1973, the City of St. James wanted to purchase the building for use as a depot. The Heritage House Board, however, believed the depot should remain in its home city of Mountain Lake. A trade was negotiated, and a depot from Amboy, which was heading to Mountain Lake, was instead moved to St. James. The Mountain Lake Depot indeed remained at home – albeit just shifting location a bit south and east to the site of Heritage Village.
