The Tidewater's caboose history is murky.  Only the last three cabs are well-documented.  TS 305-308 survived into the 1990's, although 306 is reported to have burned about 1998.

Info about cabs 301-305 is based partly on speculation.  Any additional information would be appreciated.

Info courtesy of Ryan Barber, Garth Groff, Greg Elems, Ted Benson, Dave Stanley, Rod McClure, Frank Brehm and others

The Tidewater's caboose history appears to start nearly twenty years after the first rail was laid.  It is extremely straightforward with little variety but several mysteries.

All documented "regular" TS cabs were former Western Pacific equipment.  All were wooden body with couplas and appear to have served in three distinct waves.  However, there is a hazy part of the history from the 1910's to late 1920's, when either an ex-SP coach and/or the baggage-express motor 300 was used as a caboose and the TS may have had 2 early cabooses that were later replaced by two ex-WP cars with recycled numbers.

The earliest documented crummies on the line were ex-WP cars with very interesting histories.  TS 301 appears to have come to the Western Pacific by way of the Boca and Loyalton where it had been number 4, reported both as a passenger coach and a caboose.  In 1917, this car was rebuilt by WP to an in-house design patterned after their 1910 Haskell and Barker cabooses.  Renumbered to WP 20057, it later became WP 706.  On May 18, 1928, the 706 was sold to the Tidewater and was reportedly numbered 301.  This identification is conjecture based upon incomplete records.  The 301 served until probably sometime in the mid-1940's, although records are lacking.

The history of TS 302 is also built on a measure of supposition.  Pictures of the 302 clearly show it too was an H&K style rebuild.  It appears to have been ex-WP 714, nee-20064, which came to the Western Pacific as an Alameda and San Jouquin caboose, number unknown.  It was originally built in 1906, not long before the A&SJ was folded into the WP.  It was rebuilt by WP in December of 1917.  On May 31, 1929, it was sold to the TS and probably numbered 302.  Photo evidence shows the 302 in used as late as World War II.  Similar WP cars lasted into the late 1950's.

It is worth noting that no solid evidence has been found of TS cabooses predating 1928, although the railroad was heavily into freight haulage from the beginning.  However, a copy of Western Railroader published in 1950 made reference to the Tidewater replacing two cabooses, TS 301 and 302, in 1939 with two ex-WP cars and reusing the same numbers.  This date is contradicted by roster evidence showing TS 301 and 302 coming from the WP in late 1928 and early 1929.  It is possible that the Western Railroader date is wrong and the TS did in fact have two cabooses from early on numbered 301 and 302.

Also of interest is the number series.  The Tidewater had a baggage-express motor numbered 300, yet used that series for its cabooses.  It has been suggested that when motor 300 was demoted to caboose service, new cabooses were possibly numbered accordingly starting with 301. 

The TS did have an ex-Southern Pacific combine in the early years, used behind its ex-CP/SP 2-6-2T for passenger service before the wire was up.  It was numbered 100 and was said to have been demoted to caboose service once the interurban cars began running.  However, it seems unlikely that this sole car served all the road's caboose needs.  (One report stating that the TS' baggage-express motor was numbered 100 and used primarily as a caboose appears to come from an old AFE form which seems to list both pieces of equipment, the combine and the express motor (300), under the 100 number.  This form is almost certainly in error.)

Three other cabooses enter the picture in 1942, numbered 303-305.  This series are outside-braced, wooden cupola cabooses, of a type rebuilt by the WP during the period 1938-1942, very similar to TS 306-308 except they have the tender style "stirrup" steps that WP applied to a small number of rebuilds.  According to company records, they were rebuilt from former WP boxcars into cabooses specifically for the TS.  These cars replaced 301 and 302.  Probably about 1950, they were repainted into the WP's silver and orange scheme, among the very few subsidiary cabooses to wear these colors.

While the dispositions of 301-304 are unknown, 305 survives today, having been retired in 1959.  TS 305 was purchased by TS sectionman Lloyd Flinders and sat behind his home for a time.  At an unknown date, it was moved to Waterford, California and set up in an RV park.  In 2003, the 305 was acquired by the city of Modesto for eventual restoration and display along the TS right of way through town.

The last three TS cabooses, 306-308, all arrived in June of 1958.  They were brought in to replace 303-305, but the reason is a mystery.  All six would have been of similar vintage and condition.  They appear about the same time that California mandated several improvements to cabooses, such as toilets and safety features.  Perhaps there was some difference that made 306-308 more attractive to retrofit with these features as TS AFEs exist authorizing these repairs to the 306-308.  Like the 303-305, numbers 306-308 were all outside-braced rebuilds of ex-WP boxcars, 306 and 307 rebuilt in May 1942 and 308 rebuilt in 1938.  They would remain in service until the early 1970's.

TS 308, the last serving caboose lettered for the railroad, eventually ended up in private hands and today it is lovingly restored and used as a guest house at a Modesto residence.  TS 306 reportedly served as the kitchen of a restaurant in the former Southern Pacific depot in Santa Cruz, California.  A group was negotiating to purchase it after the restaurant closed, but a fire destroyed the depot and the caboose was destroyed either in the fire itself or in the demolition of the building.  TS 307 also survives, used as a residence just off the Union Pacific mainline in Oakland, a little south of the Jack London Square depot.  It can clearly be seen from the passing Amtrak trains, surfboards leaned against the handrails and the ghost of the Tidewater Southern name on its letterboards.

Tidewater Southern Railway

Cabooses