A New England family has brought a Maine Central caboose back to its former glory following a cosmetic and mechanical restoration at the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad’s shop in Unity, Maine.
Twin brothers Connor and Cullen Maher, along with their father, acquired MEC caboose 640 in 2022 to realize a dream of having their own caboose. The caboose had previously been stored at the end of the B&ML’s line at City Point.
Following minor work in late 2024, the restoration ramped up in 2025 with the family replacing coupler knuckles and making repairs to the air brake system and body with the help of friends.
The cosmetic restoration began last fall when 640 was sandblasted and primed, but some challenges prevented further work taking place until late this summer when the family, along with an army of 14 friends from across New England, volunteered time to get the caboose painted in one weekend in August.
On that weekend, the group finished sanding, priming, masking and spraying Pine Green paint on the first day. On the second day, they sprayed it with Harvest Gold paint and rolled it out of the shop that Sunday afternoon. As of September, vinyl lettering was applied, along with finishing touches on the paint.
Now, the family plans to move the caboose by rail to Rockland, Maine on the former MEC Rockland Branch, where operations are being planned.
“The future for 640 is really bright,” said Connor Maher. “The same great folks running the BML now operate the new Cumberland and Knox Railroad on the Rockland Branch and we plan to eventually restore the interior once it arrives there, and when that’s done we intend to let the CKRR utilize the 640 on occasion for freight use, with us also looking at the possibility of using it on the soon-to-begin tourist trains out of Rockland as well.”
Maine Central caboose 640 was built in 1976 by the International Car Company in Kenton, Ohio. It was among the last cabooses to be ordered by the MEC, and entered service in 1977 on the railroad’s Mountain Division between Portland, Maine and St. Johnsbury, Vt.
Following a wreck in either late 1977 or early 1978, the caboose was repaired at the railroad’s Waterville Shops and re-entered service in spring 1978. After Guilford Transportation took over operations of the railroad in 1981, it remained in service until the early 1990s. During this time, it received major damage to its interior from a fire started by an arsonist. It was saved by a former Maine Central employee, who moved it to the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad and made repairs to its interior. The caboose was restored to its 1978 post-wreck appearance.
— Nick Stewart
