A friend of mine is working with Choctaw parks and has questions about a caboose in a park here in Choctaw Oklahoma. 17725. We know it was bought in 75, originally a boxcar converted to a wooden caboose. There’s some marking on the side. On the one side it has been painted over where it says YARD SERVICE and a code. I can’t read it from the picture though.
could anyone tell me what the RPKC stand for or where it was assigned to yard service?
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Unless I'm mistaken, it means the waste packing in the journals (to retain the oil) was repacked in Kansas City December 13, 1974.
Rusty
Yes I believe "AR" stands for "Argentine", just outside of Kansas City?
Interesting that the caboose has had it's side windows removed.
Actually the windows were installed during restoration.
Did the caboose have side windows on the body? Interesting looking hack.
Usually, friction bearing wheel sets had large pads located in the journal box that were soaked with oil. The pads had sewn in loops that allowed the car inspector to use a “packing hook” to pull them out and change them. As long as they were well oiled, they worked well. They had to be routinely oiled or replaced after certain periods of time, hence the RPK date on the caboose.
Cotton waste was usually carried on the caboose to allow for replacement of a ruined journal box pad in case of a hot box. The waste could be packed in and oiled to allow the car to reach a proper repair location…
Tom
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