Aa3rt,
I'm trying to track down images of the Navy Railroad that served Pax-River between 1945 and 1954. More specifically we are very interested in locating any image B&W or Color of the Caboose.
Above image is of the Caboose near the Wye in the tracks near Bowie MD.
The former N&W Caboose "who joined the Navy". Our goals are multi faceted, first we want to gain more knowledge of what happened to the caboose after it joined the Navy...How was it lettered? What number/s did it carry? how was it panted? (Some of which we can sort of see in the one image we already have from a magazine article) Another facet is that this knowledge will join our files in the Norfolk & Western Historical Society Archives (NWHS) as we attempt to broaden our understanding as to what happened to the Cabooses that left the Norfolk & Western for second or more lives after service on the railroad of their birth. We have had success in following and researching many of the cabooses that left the N&W but the "Navy" caboose has proved to be very elusive. With your help our goal is to connect with you or an individual or group that may have images of this particular caboose that will help us answer some of our questions and help us better understand what the caboose that joined the Navy looked like while it was in service. What we do know is the following:
-Norfolk & Western Railway Caboose 518104 was built new in 8-1915 and then later Sold by the Norfolk & Western Railway in 9-1945 to US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, our belief/understanding is that this caboose was used by the Navy at it's railroad serving the Naval Air Station Patuxent River from late 1945 till 1954 at which time the Navy stopped operations of it's railroad on to the base and later removed the rail line. We do not know what happened to the caboose after 1954? Was it sold? Was it scrapped? Was it transferred to another Naval operation? As mentioned above, what did the caboose look like over the nine (9) years that it served in the Navy? This is why we desire image to support our interest, photographic evidence of what it looked like.
We know someone has to have images snapped by a father/mother, grand father, service member, relative or someone who took interest in the Navy's railroad serving the Naval Base. Given how public the grade crossings were and the communities that it passed through or served and the customers involved along the way someone must have taken pictures somewhere of it over the nine (9) years in service or after it left for yet another life beyond Pax River. Our goal with you is to make contact with someone who knows they have an old album of images or knows of someone who has an album of images of the Navy Rail Road that serviced Pax-River and was part of the community and so many for nine years plus. While the article in the story reference the images as being "US Navy Images" no files of railroad images have been located via the Navy up to this point.
I have already worked with the Museum out side the main gate at Pax-River. The Base library, the Base historians, the base archaeologist, the state (Maryland) office of historical records in Department of Transportation, the Naval Archives, the National Archives, The St Mary's Historical Society, and the Enterprise News Paper, among many other groups and individuals. I'd love to make contact with Paul Rogers as well if he is still around. But between you and Paul, you are my best chances for locating information to help us in our research of this caboose that was bought and used on the "Navy's Railroad".
Any help you can provide would be welcome and greatly appreciated. As a side note I believe the Local News Paper the "Enterprise" will be running an article requesting help on images to support our research efforts very soon too.
Hope this message finds you well and I look forward to hearing back from you.
Steve Smith
Roanoke VA
(540) 312-6011