After serving as a campus landmark for 20 years, the Santa Fe train caboose left on May 25 to go to a new home in southern California. It was starting to rust, and we couldn't repair it, so we sold it to a man who collects trains who will love it and restore it.
Students and teachers watched from the sidelines as workers detached the body of the caboose from the wheels, and a huge crane lifted the pieces onto two flatbed trucks. The transfers went smoothly, but after the caboose body was placed onto its truck, the workers determined that it was too tall to fit under some of the highway underpasses between Watsonville and its destination.
Using welding torches, they removed a large metal utility box on the base of the train, reducing it to the correct height, and then the trucks began their journey south. According to the new owner, who purchased the caboose on eBay, the trip will include climbing up the 4,000 foot Tehachipi Pass.
The 1950s-era caboose was purchased in 1988 at a surplus sale for $3,400 by Don Price, the son of the founders of Monte Vista, who liked trains and also liked bargains. It was displayed on a grassy area near the Library, and in its early days, Mr. Price often prepared hot chocolate for students on its wood-burning stove.
The area where the caboose stood will be converted into a recreation field for middle school students.
“It was an unusual thing to have a caboose on campus, and we’ll miss it,” said Monte Vista Headmaster Steve Sharp, “but I’m excited about the ways we’ll be able to use that area that will bless our kids.”
