BAXTER — Kansas-based train enthusiast and inspector Jason Midyette took shelter from a chilly rain Oct. 23 inside an appropriate place for his hobby — an old, red caboose in Baxter.
Midyette was commissioned by the Baxter Hometown Pride committee to assess years of weathering, wear and tear on the old train car which sits at the trail head of the Chichaqua Valley Trail near the town’s main street.
The committee hopes to restore the unique fixture as part of Jasper County’s affiliation with the Keep Iowa Beautiful program and make it a destination on the trail system.
“Originally railroad cars were made entirely of wood with some metal reinforcement,” Midyette said while examining the caboose Oct. 23. “Then they moved to a steel under-frame with all wood superstructure. Then this car is an early attempt at more steel.”
The caboose was used by Rock Island Line, built between 1938 and 1944. Midyette said during this time the railroad company converted a bunch of old boxcars into cabooses. The structure is one of the early attempts at a steel railroad car.
The Baxter caboose has a steel frame with a double layer of wood paneling which comprises the outside and inside siding. And, Midyette said, that’s where the repairs could get tricky. Some of the wood is showing signs of rot and will need to be replaced but the outside and inside walls are bolted together, so both the interior and exterior will need to be removed to replace the wood.
Baxter City Clerk and Hometown Pride Committee member Peg Kimberly told the Jasper County Tribune in January the caboose was originally brought to Baxter in 1995 by Larry and Norma Kiser through a $4,000 Project Main Street grant. The Baxter City Council debated how to handle the aging caboose earlier this year before it was designated a priority by Baxter Hometown Pride.
Baxter Hometown Pride Committee member Mike Kaiser said the assessment is part of getting a project outline started to look more attractive while applying for grants and other funding avenues. The committee is exploring the possibility of extending the Chichaqua Valley trail head in Baxter into a nearby park.
“This is the cornerstone of (the trail) because this is where it starts. We’re looking at extending the trail head into Geise ‘Shady’ Park and to make that more attractive,” Kaiser said.
The committee is also looking at a grassroots effort to raise money for the caboose renovation by selling T-shirts with a logo reading “Baxter Hometown Pride” surrounding an image of the caboose. Kaiser said Baxter’s Hometown Pride group is even exploring designing and selling a calender to support the effort.
The committee has not released a price for the T-shirts. For more information on how to support Baxter’s Hometown Pride projects contact Peg Kimberley at city@baxter-iowa.com.
Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@
jaspercountytribune.com