Penn Central Caboose Photo Archive

The N-8A and N-8B Classes
Built in 1948 as a class NE-6 for the New Haven, they were rebuilt by the Penn Central into class N-8A around 1970. The windows in the cupola were sealed up, a water tank was suspended from the ceiling and bay windows were installed on it's sides.

 
 N8A
 
LOCATION & INFORMATION
DATE
PHOTO CREDIT
New Haven CT
ex-NH 649
October 1973
Paul McGrane
 Holyoke
ex-NH 671
 Jan 25, 1974
 from the
collection of
Jim Hebner
  Fonda NY
eastbound
ex-NH 687
Sept 1, 1970 
 from the
collection of
Jim Hebner
  Fonda NY
eastbound
Sept 1, 1970 
 from the
collection of
Jim Hebner
 Danbury CT
Restored to PC 23662 by the
Danbury Railway Museum!
Here she is the restoration crew riding as it is spotted on a different track.
1998 
Edward A O'Lena's
8 year old son 
  Danbury CT
Restored to PC 23662 by the
Danbury Railway Museum!
Next to their PC N-5
 1998
 Edward A O'Lena's
8 year old son 
 Danbury CT
Aug 21, 1998 
 Jeff Lubchansky
Danbury CT
2020
Rudy Garbely
 Bridge One
Cleveland OH
 George Elwood

 

N8B ex NH NE-5 with added bay window and blanked cupola

NE-5 cabooses Nos. C510-C534 were welded, and had an average weight of 43,500 Ibs. All windows and doors were equipped
with metal protection screens. Sliding windows were used in the carbody

Caboose dimensions for the NE-5 series included a length of 33-feet, chinches between strike plates; a height of 11-feet, 2-15/ 32-inches from
rail surface to top of running board, a cupola height of about 2-feet, 6-inches; and a width of 90-feet, 5-inches between the edges of each end platform.

PC started a rebuild program, with each caboose in the 23000-series of former NE-5 and NE-6 (Nos. 23505-23620 )
being reclassed (N-8B) and
Nos. 23622-23679 (N-8A), was given a new set of roller bearing trucks; while fabricated bay windows were added to the
carbody sides of these cabooses. The cupola windows were welded over with square steel plates

 

 N8B

 LOCATION

DATE

PHOTO BY
23505  Bridge One
Cleveland OH		    George Elwood
23519  Conway, PA March 8, 1975 David Hamley
23533  Holyoke March 29 1974   from the
collection of
Jim Hebner
         
23533  Big Darby Creek Bridge
west of Buckeye Yard
Columbus OH		 September. 1976  Jim Hebner
23541 Allentown PA  February 22, 1977   from the
collection of
Jim Hebner
23560  Cleveland Ohio
Collinwod Yard		  March 1976  Jim Hebner
23565  Freedom PA  June 1973  George Alberti
         
         
23566  Bellfontaine OH 1974   Jim Hebner
  23576

Holyke MA

 Dec 1974 Joe Snopek
         

Return to Penn Central Caboose Photo Archive Main Page

Visit my Conrail Caboose Photo Archive and
see what became of the PC cabooses

Contributions welcome and credited.

Most of the photos on this site are from original photos/slides or submissions. Some photos are from the web - I have tried to get permission to use on all of them, but a few may have slipped through. Please, let me know if that has happened.

 

 

 

This archive was first accessed August 1996