Go Back

 

Local Firm Powering Cabooose Restoration At Barberville Settlement

       History and rail enthusiasts both here and all over the country have gathered forces to muster the resources necessary to restore a fixture of the Barberville Pioneer Settlement.  After nearly two years of planning and fundraising, work has begun on restoring a 1965 Atlantic Coast Line caboose that has called the settlement home for 50 years.
    The caboose, a near twin of the caboose that resides outside of the Umatilla Public Library, in fact was built at nearly the exact same time as the Umatilla unit and carries an identification number just four units away from the Umatilla caboose.  After its service life ended, it was moved to the Pioneer Settlement, where it has resided next to the historic Pierson Train Depot, a building it would pass when both were in service on the railroad that spurred development of the area in the early 1900’s. It joins dozens of other structures and displays on the settlement’s 30-acre property dedicated to providing hands-on interpretation of early Florida history.
    Local firm RCM Utilities has taken the lead on the project, and has begun metal work on the caboose.  Over the years, rust had claimed various areas of the caboose, with RCM lead fabricator Kasey Ryon heading up the team undertaking the metal work.  After completion, the caboose will be prepped and painted by Precise Painting Enterprises, the same area firm that painted the Umatilla caboose in recent years.
    With an estimated $20,000 budget, the project has been supported by individuals from all over the country, as well as in-state companies like U.S. Sugar.  However, RCM stepped forward to contribute both time and materials to get the project off the drawing board and into action.
    “RCM Utilities, especially, made the project possible with their generosity.  That got us across the finish line,” said Asa Newby, settlement volunteer and rail history advocate who is spearheading the project on behalf of the settlement.  “Without RCM, and our other partners patience and generosity, this restoration project would not be possible.”
    Newby said the current project is the first ‘in-depth’ maintenance the caboose has received since it was moved to the settlement, and he voiced excitement that the project is expected to be complete when the settlement hosts its biggest event of the year, the annual Fall Jamboree in early November.  This year’s event celebrates the 50th year of the settlement’s existence.
    “To see the caboose restored in time for the settlement’s 50th anniversary is really something special,” he said.
    RCM owner Chris Creech this week updated the project.
    “We are awaiting some specially cut replacement plates now that we have cut loose the rusted components for measurement.  We should be finished up by the end of this month.”
    RCM is known for its support of community projects, with the caboose restoration simply the latest example of the firm using its expertise and resources to the betterment of the community and its residents.
    “It is our honor and privilege to have the opportunity to preserve a piece of history and be a part of the mission of the Barberville Pioneer Settlement Museum,” Creech said.