Restored caboose dedicated in honor of brakeman
In 1972, brakeman B. C. Dickensheets bought a 60-year-old caboose which he planned to restore and place in a historical museum in Livingston, Mont. But Dickensheets died before his project got very far along and the caboose was later nearly destroyed by vandals.
In the meantime, friends and coworkers in UTU Local 685 revived the brakeman's project. They took charge of old Northern Pacific caboose number 1266, restoring it and making arrangements to have it placed in a new museum.
On June 2, 1977, the Park County Historical Society opened the new museum and caboose 1266 was there, all decked out with new paint and equipment and a focal point in the ceremonies.
Retired conductor V. V. VanAken, who headed the crew that Dickensheets worked with before his death, dedicated the caboose in honor of the brakeman who started the project. VanAken gave credit to W. R. McGee, Simon Spannring and many other local people who helped make the brakeman's dream come true.
NP caboose 1266 served well for over 60 years on the Rocky Mountain Division between Livingston, Butte and Helena. In its early days, the caboose was assigned permanently to one conductor, and the crew used it as living quarters when away from their home terminal. The 1266 averaged about 4,000 miles a month throughout its career.
"If number 1266 could only talk, it could tell a vivid story of the history of railroading," said conductor VanAken at the ceremony. "We dedicate this caboose in honor of the brakeman who started the project with his personal funds. And we hope, as he did, that through the 1266, a little of the history of railroading's golden era will be preserved for future generations."
From an Unknown Newspaper