The U.S. state of Virginia is a state that is rich in history. From the American Revolutionary War to the American Civil War, a great amount of history happened in the city of Winchester. Located in the northwest region of the state, the town is at the junction of four U.S. Routes (routes 11, 17 which has its northern terminus here, 50, and 522) with Interstate 81 passing east of the town center.
Winchester is not known as a railroad town, but the railroad has a great presence here with Chessie Seaboard Transportation (CSX) having a railroad yard here. Winchester is also at the eastern end of the Winchester and Western Railroad, a short line railroad that runs west from Winchester to the small town of Gore.
As you drive around in Winchester, you see monuments and historic structures, and then you come upon a caboose. What is it about this caboose?
In the old days of railroading, cabooses were found at the end of freight trains. When the caboose became obsolete, some were scraped, but some where sparred. This particular caboose was spared from being scraped, and it was put on display in a small park next to the police station. The caboose was originally built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It was later sold to the Winchester and Western Railroad. When the caboose was decommissioned, it was donated to the Northern Shenandoah Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society who put it on display.
The caboose is open for tours certain days of the year. It is located at 231 E. Piccadilly Street just east of the Old Town Mall and near all of the U.S. Routes. Please note that the caboose is not wheelchair accessible. You can contact the Northern Shenandoah Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society at Home | Winchester Chapter for more information.
