In a conversation last fall, Roger Whitcomb brought to my attention an interesting find in our chapter archives. It was a letter exchange in 1969 between a local resident, Mr. Forrest Trittenbach of Chestnut Street in Emmaus and the Secretary of Emmaus Rotary at that time Mr. Fred Shaffer.
Mr. Trittenbach was a local rail historian and a conductor on the Reading Railroad. He met with the President of the Reading Company and secured for Emmaus Borough the donation of a caboose to be displayed at the park. The letter writing alludes to a cooperative relationship between Emmaus Rotary, the railroad, the borough, and Mr. Trittenbach in making the display of the caboose possible.
On November 5th, 1969 the railroad brought a chosen caboose from Reading to Sixth Street in Emmaus. For a nominal fee of $1,000.00, Emmaus Rotary legend Wilmer Shultz facilitated a mobile crane, two flat bed trucks, and necessary personnel to move the caboose to the display site. Apparently, the hauling fee was forwarded to the Interclub Council of Emmaus Service Clubs. However, the Emmaus Rotary Board of Directors approved painting of the exterior of the caboose for the following spring.
Of course, my first response to Roger was….where’s our caboose? So a little digging around revealed a happy ending and a personal connection for me. First stop was an excellent book that I soon bought from a friend of mine: Reading Company Cabooses by John W. Hall. There, I learned that our Emmaus Caboose was Reading Company Number 92830. Further digging on the internet led me to find out that the caboose later became an attractive nuisance in the park and was eventually moved to the WK&S Railroad in Kempton, PA where it resides in operating condition today. Ironically, in the early 2000s, I was a volunteer at the WK&S and actually spent a cold winter on weekends painting the interior of this very caboose. What a small world!
For your enjoyment, I’ve attached two photos of the caboose from the aforementioned book. Also attached is a copy of the correspondence that Roger found in our archives. Lastly, here is an excellent internet link for more information on our caboose. Jeff's WK&S Railroad Pages (jeff-z.com)
Yours In Service,
Wade George
