No. 4023 at its new museum home.

The museum acquired bay-window caboose No. 4023 from the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1986. It was delivered from the Colton, Calif. rail yard, where the car had been retired, to the Goleta Lemon Spur at La Patera Lane, about two road miles from the museum. It arrived Sept. 21, where it remained for four days.

Caboose arrives at Goleta, Sept. 21, 1986.

The caboose was moved to its new home at Lake Los Carneros Park, on the grounds of the South Coast Railroad Museum, on Sept. 25. The move involved removing the wheel assemblies from the caboose body and using two trucks to transport the car parts to the museum site. Dennis Romero Heavy Hauling and (Frank) Marton Trucking donated the transportation services. Specialty Crane & Rigging performed the crane work at both ends of the short journey from the tracks to the museum.

The museum's new caboose was first shared with the general public at an open house during Depot Day, Oct. 19, 1986.

Gene Allen readies the car for transport.

No. 4023 was built in 1961 by the Pacific Car and Foundry Company. Originally, it was assigned a number in the 1400-1599 range.

Starting in 1973, Southern Pacific remodeled 124 of these C-40-4 cabooses. Included in this work was the car that would receive the number “4023” as its new designation.

The makeover involved a number of upgrades and improvements. These included a taller center bay, double “frog-eye” roof mounted marker lights, an external fuel tank, roller bearing trucks, an axle-hung generator, improved radio equipment, roof walks and end ladders, a chemical-retentive toilet (replacing the old sewer chute) and additional windows.

Caboose is reassembled in front of Goleta Depot.

The modernized caboose No. 4023 also featured a new mineral-red exterior with safety-orange bays and end walls.

Rare view of No. 4023 in action was captured by Brian Paul Ehni on Oct. 12, 1983, in
Kirby, Texas, while the photographer was stationed at nearby Fort Sam Houston.

Copyright © 2000, Brian Paul Ehni.