Help us bring it home!
The Manchester Model Railroad Association is hosting a fundraiser to bring an authentic Lehigh Valley Railroad Caboose to the Manchester Railroad Memorial Park in Manchester, New York. The caboose was built in Sayre Pennsylvania at the main yard and shops of the LVRR in the 1940's, and saw extensive service in the LVRR classification yard in Manchester, NY which was located just west of the park's location on State Route 21 in the Village of Manchester.
The Manchester area has a long and rich railroad history. At one time, there were 700 railroad jobs at the classification yard in a community of just 1,400 people. The historian Harry Tuttle has identified over 2,000 local rail workers in his recent book. The addition of the caboose to the park only serves to enhance this legacy.
The caboose is currently owned by the Newark Valley Historical Society in Newark Valley, NY. The goal of this fundraising effort is to purchase the caboose and transport it to a display track in the park. The caboose will be moved to Manchester by a well-known rail equipment trucking company. The current NYC caboose at the park will then be repainted in a more accurate Conrail "blue," paint scheme. Conrail serviced the Manchester Lehigh Valley yard after its formation in the 1970's.
The current equipment at the park includes a NYC caboose repainted in LVRR livery, and 2 boxcars, one of which houses the organization's O Scale layout.
This is a recent photo of the LRVV caboose located at the historical society 's site in Newark Valley. The caboose was recently painted and is in great shape!
The total fundraising goal is $20,061; $10,000 for the purchase of the caboose from the historical society, and $10,060 for the cost to transport the caboose to the railroad park in Manchester. Any additional funds raised will be held in an account dedicated to future maintenance of the caboose at the park.
We are using GoFundMe as a fundraising platform. Those wishing to donate may visit our fundraiser page at GoFundMe.
Checks or cash donations may also be dropped off at the Village Hall in Manchester, NY located at 8 Clifton Street in Manchester, NY. Checks should be made out to: Manchester Model Railroad Association. Please note "Lehigh Caboose Fundraiser" on any check or money order.
We appreciate your help with this fundraiser! Even small donations are encouraged. Every little bit helps! Please share this page with your friends! Thank you!