Large Scale Central

How to move the caboose?

General Discussion
#1

I’ll let them say it in their own words.

http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/5213700-151/prineville-railroads-caboose-a-moving-dilemma

Prineville railroad’s caboose a moving dilemma

City of Prineville Railway considers options for moving its old caboose

By Aaron West, The Bulletin

The issue isn’t actually the freight car’s weight, but its height. For a train car, 60,000 pounds is “fairly light,” Wiederholt said, but at 13 feet, 8 inches tall, the caboose’s height would exceed 14 feet — the maximum height allowed on Oregon roads — when it’s loaded onto the back of a truck.

“The height is giving us some challenges,” he said.

#2

Check out Flyingyankee.org . They moved the former B&M Flying Yankee Streamliner using special highway “bogies” that literally replaced the Budd trucks with “highway trucks”. This kept the cars at a reasonable height down the road and even allowed them to pass through an old truss bridge (just barely).
Later photos show the train on flat beds…that was a later move without height restrictions.

#3

Pretty funny, I guess anything is news in a small town. Not like people have never moved tall stuff and gotten special permits. That caboose is lower than the bulkhead flat in the background.

Yep, lift it off it’s wheels, put on a lowboy, take the trucks to the final destination, crane it up and back onto the trucks. I’ll bet they spend more time agonizing than the actual move takes.

Ahh… to live in a small town…

Greg

#4

Whatever ends up happening, Gillespie said the caboose is a great way to tell the story of Prineville’s railroad — the oldest municipal-owned railway in the country.

Municipal owned? And its hasn’t fallen into complete disarray? Wow, I think that in itself is amazing.

It will be set up on train tracks railway employees are building for the exhibit, and it’s big enough that people will be able to see it from the street.

Really? A nearly 14 foot high, orange caboose, can be seen from the street? Who would have thought?

#5

David Maynard said: A nearly 14 foot high, orange caboose,

I like the sound of chartreuse caboose.

#6

If it were a Bay Window caboose, it wouldn’t be a problem. But with that cupola on top…

#7

Since it is a height problem , lay it on its side, well cribbed with lumber and then it becomes about 10ft high and 14ft wide, permit it for a Sunday morning and in no time it is in its new place, or find a house mover to do same by replacing trucks and steel wheels with the steerable wheel sets used in house moving. Sounds like the city doesn’t want to deal with permits, all sort of oversize stuff is moved at night , or during weekends when they can re route traffic while big things move slowly around obstacles

#8

Lessee… caboose owned by the town, to be moved within the town, and the town cannot give itself a permit?

Had to be an extremely slow news day to overblow this, or the city council all has dementia and cannot make simple decisions.

Greg

#9

It would depend on the route the caboose has to travel. If it needs to be moved down or cross over a State road or highway, they would need permission from the State, even if it is within the City Limits. At that point, they would have to provide the oversize load’s dimensions and proposed route, as well as the moving time. There would be a review by the State to determine if there are any issues with the load’s dimensions, as well as traffic load. A permit would be issued to move the load down a specific route at a specified time window. Then there is the coordination with all of the utilities, as well as law enforcement for any traffic control.

Now, this is not a Super Load by any means, but if it is over dimension in any way, all of that has to be done. You simply can’t call up the Bandit and rush it across town.

Chris

#10

Found it, pretty much due north.

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.3103893,-120.8508278,3a,75y,52.26h,63.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sh0xXHyN_XZHO1pMGThgfbw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1?hl=en

Have to peek through the bulkhead cars.

Pretty much due north of the museum.

Not a state highway, as far as I can see… man moving the caboose will be the highlight of the year, small town, lots of rail pulled up.

Greg

#11

Greg Elmassian said:

Lessee… caboose owned by the town, to be moved within the town, and the town cannot give itself a permit?

Had to be an extremely slow news day to overblow this, or the city council all has dementia and cannot make simple decisions.

Greg

Uh huh.

#12

Trying to be funny… it’s just down the street, and it’s not a big caboose.

But it’s big news in that town.

#13

Looking at images of Prineville, the whole town looks flat, and doesn’t appear to be any bridge obstructions, in fact, the only bridge I saw was over a river.

aka, Hicksville, USA. Evidently they haven’t ever had to move a house, church or historic building, all clearly taller than 14ft.

#14

My kids grew up in Prineville, my ex still lives there, and I’ve been there many times. I know where the caboose is and where it’s going. I can’t for the life of me see any problem either unless there are utility lines in the way …

#15

I actually “drove” the route from the current location to the museum via google maps in “street view”, and likewise I did not see any issues, definitely no overpasses/bridges/etc. I was kidding about dementia, but it sure seemed to be a big deal over very little.

Regards, Greg

#16

The small town leaders are the same everywhere in our USA! Construction of our new 8th Street bridge began with tree removal and our leader (Mayor) made the loaded log truck come up from the river flats and down a lengthy street to exit the construction area… well if the driver was able to turn right when he got to the top of the grade, 100 yards to the extra wide 8th street with ‘no’ obstructions–no sir, made him come down the low wire and tree laden streets! Snagged power lines, cable TV lines and telephone lines; then gave the driver hell! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)