Tioga Transportation Society

With the completion of the Pine Creek Railway between Jersey Shore, PA and Stokesdale Junction, PA in July of 1883, the Wellsboro and Antrim RR ceased being part of the main line and became the Antrim Branch. Main line trains no longer came into Wellsboro, PA.

A shuttle train was created to accommodate the passengers. This sometimes, mixed train was made up of less than desirable equipment, including a caboose, and ran on a very “loose” schedule. The local residents and the media were not kind to the railroad with their comments regarding this shuttle train. It was dubbed the “Bob-tail.” It would provide shuttle service from Wellsboro at MP (milepost) 3.0 to Stokesdale Junction (later named Wellsboro Junction) at MP 0.0 (106.0) with service through Stokesdale.

In the late 1990’s Tioga Central RR (TCRR), along with the members of the Tioga Transportation Society (TTS), re-created a modern version of the “Bob-tail” utilizing a caboose owned by the Tioga County Historical Society (TCHS). The caboose is currently painted to commemorate the Strouds Creek & Muddlety Railroad (SC&M) and the Tioga Lumber Company (TLC) of West Virginia, both of which were founded and owned by Tioga County, PA, businessmen. The SC&M was chartered on 6 July 1904 in Nicholas County, WV. The SC&M served the TLC as a lumber railroad. It was leased to the Birch Valley Lumber Company for a time and eventually returned to service on the SC&M in 1941. By 1943 the TLC had acquired ownership of the SC&M. In April of 1944, the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) began operating the SC&M under a lease from the TLC. The SC&M continued to serve the TLC primarily as a coal railroad until the merger of the TLC and Pardee Resources in 1998.

The caboose, Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) #903647, was given to the Tioga County Historical Society in the 1980’s at the request of George Williams, then president of the TLC. Williams had been involved with the lease and rate negotiations with the Chessie System (C&O). The TLC refurbished the caboose, and it remained at the Allingdale, WV, terminus of the SC&M with the C&O until after the 1998 merger when it was delivered to Tioga County, PA.

While the caboose has no direct relationship to the TCRR, TTS or the TCHS, it does represent a link to the history of railroading in and about Tioga County, PA. This link dates back to the end of the 19th Century and the local shuttle train that ran from Wellsboro to the Junction.

The Magor Car Corporation of Passaic, NJ, built the caboose in April 1941. It was one of 185 rail cars of the C&O 90050 Series, Class C-15A. It was car number 90065. At that time it was painted in the standard C&O red paint scheme.

This car was extensively rebuilt in June of 1970 at the C&O shops in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During the rebuild it was renumbered as C&O 3647 and also painted dark blue with yellow lettering. The car was repainted Chessie System yellow at Grand Rapids in June of 1977 and renumbered as 903647 at Huntington, WV, in 1982. As late as 1983, the caboose was listed as being in service at South Charleston, WV.

The caboose is currently in very usable condition, but exposure to the elements is gradually taking its toll. It does need to be “spruced up” including repainting. Its current livery hints at being more of a “circus” car, rather than a standard railroad car. Sometimes it is referred to as “cartoonish” because of the current paint and lettering scheme.

The Tioga Transportation Society, which is also a member of the Tioga County Historical Society, has taken on the challenge of acquiring funds for the restoration of this caboose. They have published a book titled The “Bob-tail” which includes numerous newspaper articles degrading the “Bob-tail” and local railroad pictures acquired from the National Archives. In addition, through the cooperation of Bowser Manufacturing in Montoursville, PA, the TTS had an HO Scale model of the “Bob-tail” (limited run of 200) created that reflects what the finished caboose will look like when it is restored and painted with a more traditional livery. The HO model is no longer available.  The book is available for purchase in our gift shop and all proceeds will be used to restore the caboose.

With the restoration of the caboose, an historical and romantic link can be maintained with Tioga County and Wellsboro’s rich railroading history.