BEMIDJI — Around bridges and power lines, the Beltrami County Historical Society and a group of committed volunteers helped bring a piece of railroad history back to the original Great Northern Depot.
Beltrami County Historical Society Executive Director Emily Thabes doesn’t usually get involved with the movement of heavy machinery, but when she heard about an opportunity to bring a 1948 Great Northern Railway caboose to the historic depot, where the county’s museum now resides, she didn’t hesitate to get on board.
“The response from our community and from local businesses has been extraordinary,” said Thabes in a Wednesday, Jan. 24, phone call. “We raised almost $20,000 to make sure that this could happen, and here it is happening.”
The fundraising for this effort kicked off in November.
The cost to move a historic caboose is prohibitive, but Thabes said business support helped reduce the expense to the local museum. Thabes credited the 20 volunteers who assisted with the acquisition, including members of the Northern Iron Horse Model Railroad Society.
Moving a 76-year-old piece of machinery presents unique challenges, according to Thabes.
“The caboose has not moved in 30 years. So, they weren't entirely sure it was going to be able to come off the track that it's sitting on. They weren't sure that the box was going to be able to separate from the wheel,” Thabes said.
“They had to do a lot of prep work to make sure all that would happen, but also they had to figure out a route to make sure that we wouldn't hit any power lines.”
The Minnesota Department of Transportation was notified, and Ottertail Power also lifted some power lines to accommodate the caboose’s arrival.
Once set in place, the caboose will be restored and preserved to be made safe for visitors, “who will have the opportunity to step onto the caboose back in time and experience the sights and sounds of a bygone era in railroading,” according to an earlier news release.
