By Railfan & Railroad Staff

Two Conrail cabooses have been traded in a deal that will see both cars restored to their former glory. Last week, the Conrail Historical Society and Garbely Publishing Company announced that they had swapped cabooses. CRHS received a rare N-21 class bay window caboose while Garbely got an N-20 class wide-vision caboose.

The wide-vision caboose, 22130, was one of over 2,500 cabooses Conrail inherited from its predecessor roads (in this case the Reading). However, the bay window caboose, 21292, is considerably rarer and is one of only 113 built specifically for Conrail in 1978. In addition, 21292 is one of only five Conrail cabooses to wear the post-1991 “Conrail Quality” scheme. As such, CRHS thought it was more critical to its mission than the ex-Reading one. 

The trade occurred earlier this fall and since then, Garbely Publishing owner Rudy Garbely has completed a cosmetic restoration on 22130. Garbely is now leasing the car to TOYX for use on the organization’s annual toy collection trains (known as “Operation Toy Train”).

Both cabooses are presently in Port Jervis, N.Y., but bay window 21292 is expected to travel to the Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad in Pennsylvania for restoration work and eventual operation. The group is looking to raise $25,000 to move the car and complete its restoration. For more information and to donate, visit TheCRHS.org/21292.