David Longest wrote:
>It appears that the former track bed will be ugly for some time. From where is the money coming to clean and dress the destroyed rail beds?

That is the $29 million question. I assume that it will be paid for out of the funding for the trail. At this point, nothing is happening yet, although there is some talk of upgrading the right of way from 'abandoned rail bed' to 'walking trail' in some of the towns along the way. In the meantime, I fully expect the rural parts of the line to end up as ballast gravel with really healthy weeds and trees growing up through it, before any significant trail construction gets done. [That said, there are some places around Leipsic where some very tasty asparagus grows wild on the roadbed, but they are on private property and I'm not telling...]

CSX is 'out of the picture' as far as that company is concerned; at least in Orange County they have filed quit-claim actions to abandon any interest in the right of way. I'm certain they will tell you they have no further responsibility for the line - but whether the courts will agree is another question. I am not a lawyer; I leave that to the professionals.

When I was in the Mitchell area last month, the rails and ties were gone, except in the road crossings - at least, that was true from Saltillo to Mitchell. Apparently there's no urgency (or maybe no funds) for InDOT to repave the road crossings - although I assume that within the towns it will be mostly local responsibility, perhaps with InDOT subsidy. As I am not an Indiana resident (landowner yes, legal resident no), I don't have ready access to those operations.

Mark J
Columbia MO.

Thanks, Eric!  In the model photo, the bolster is open on the ends but in the prototype photo the bolster end is solid.  I’ve never seen that before on this style of truck.  Good job picking out the details.  That is a fascinating photo.

Chuck- I think that style of truck is a "Diamond Arch Bar". Here's a link to a model of them. https://www.protocraft.com/category.cfm?ItemID=3196&Categoryid=50 
The model by Boo-Rim has spoked wheels, which this caboose doesn't have, but they look like a pretty close match to me. Other things of note are: The woman has a lantern, implying she is an employee, and the rear marker mounted to the cupola side. I might be wrong, but I don't think there's a single reference to this caboose's number in any company roster in any book I've ever read.

Eric,

Thanks for posting.  Interesting looking box hanging on the side of the cupola.  Looks like it might be a lighting system of some sort.

George L.

Good find, Eric.

Bloomington was my first guess.  John Butler, who just wrote a The Hoosier Line article about Bloomington depots, may have seen this photo before.

George L.