If this Caboose Soo Line 526 could talk what a tale he could tell about the men who rode the rails.”

Lee Kaschinska

A ribbon cutting was held on July 20, 12 noon, at the Colby Rural Arts Museum to celebrate the restoration of a historic caboose. The caboose came from Colfax, is estimated to be around 85 to 100 years old and was purchased for $14,000 (not including the cost of transportation or set up). Before the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon, Lee Kaschinska hopped aboard the back of the old caboose and shared some railroad history. Lee said the museum’s first President in the 1980s first proposed adding a restored caboose to sit in front of the Colby depot.

“If this Caboose Soo Line 526 could talk what a tale he could tell about the men who rode the rails,” said Kaschinska. “After 1980 no cabooses were used and they sat and waited to be sold for scrap. But fortunately, a few have survived and today this one joins that group as an iconic reminder of the contribution of the railroads that played a significant part in the growth and development of this nation.”

Kaschinska went on to thank and recognize individuals and businesses without whose contributions this project would not have come to fruition.

Following the ribbon cutting, visitors were encouraged to tour the caboose. Once inside, one could see the modest living area of the railroad crew. At one end of the caboose, there was a cook stove, ice box, a table and bench to sit and eat, and a bed, the next section had more beds, above the beds was seating area in the cupola. Towards the end of the caboose was more seating with a desk, storage closet, and a wooden toilet of which the tour guide said would only be used while the train was moving. 

He also said before the invention of the air brake in 1881, the only method of stopping a train was from the front and rear brake.  Men had to go out while the train was in motion and turn the braking screw which was dangerous and took skill and strength to climb up onto the top of a moving rail car. Because of this, trains were only about 15 cars in length. The crew rode from terminal to terminal, for example Stevens Point to Minneapolis. Overnight they slept in the caboose. The conductor decided if and how many members of the crew could sleep in the caboose or if they had to stay at a hotel. At one point a work shift was 24 hours, today the shift is 12 hours. The food was kept in an ice box and they used a coal burning stove for heat.

Those who visited the old depot building were treated to even more interesting historical facts. Kaschinska shared more about the history of the railroad and how Colby became a town.  

“Once the railroad got 51 miles north of Stevens Point it went bankrupt,” he said. “It took them several years to get enough money to keep building. They originally planned to build to where Abbotsford is now and then build a track west to Minneapolis/St. Paul.  So, the trains stopped here. This was the railhead. People got off, most of them were farmers. But once they went out and started farming, they needed a general store. You needed a blacksmith. You needed a feed mill. You needed a tavern. Probably a hardware store. A barber probably. The town grew to a couple hundred people, and they were still calling it Station 51. They named each depot based on where it was from a certain point. This depot was 51 miles north of Stevens Point.  And that's what they called the place. And once they got several hundred people they thought, you know, that's not a good name for us. We're a thriving community. We should have a name. What should we call ourselves? And then somebody came up with a brilliant idea. Let's name it after the president of the railroad Gardner Colby. And that is how it got to today, and no, the town is not named after the cheese, the cheese came later.”

Along with the newest caboose exhibit, attendees were invited to visit the other historical buildings such as the one-room schoolhouse which was originally a part of Zion Lutheran Church in Granton. The building contains original handmade desks, a real blackboard, old schoolbooks, and many more historical items. The firehouse is another fine exhibit. It is a replica of a 1920s fire station named the Colby City Midgets, the original name of the fire department. Inside the station sits a 1926 Dodge Fire Truck and a 1947 Ford Fire Truck. A log cabin built in 1887 by Charles and Frank Schopper was open to explore. The cabin was moved from the Town of Holton to Colby in 1984. It was once close quarters for Charles and his wife Matilda and their five children. The main structure contains many smaller farm and lumbering tools, a collection of cheese making equipment and boxes, a variety of antique washing machines and replicas of little shops, a hair salon, barber shop, doctors office, dentist office and other curiosities from over a century ago.

The Colby Rural Arts Museum is open for tours on the second and fourth Saturday in June, the third Saturday and Sunday of July, for Cheese Days and the first and third Saturday of August. Private tours are available for a fee. To book an appointment call 715-316-0151 or 715-937-5455 or email; k55a46167@gmail.com.