Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis 41

Journey Through Time: The Rich History and Transformation of Caboose 41, Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway’s Last Surviving NE-3 Class Car

Caboose 41, with the Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway’s mark, carries a storied past. Originally constructed in 1927 by Mount Vernon Car Works, it served the Florida East Coast Railroad, being a part of the 873-892 series cars. The Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway became its new owner in 1935, leading to a reclassification as class NE-3, and it received its current identification number.

During 1935-1936, Caboose 41 was one of the nine NE-3 class cars transformed for branchline passenger services. This transformation was specific to the journey between Cowan and Tracy City, TN, within the NC&StL network.

This transformation involved extensive interior modifications. The original design, which consisted of three steel bunks for the crew, a table, and chairs, was replaced with a layout providing seats for up to 16 passengers, making the car more suited for passenger use.

Caboose 41 was gifted to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) by the Louisville & Nashville Railway in 1964, still adorned with the NC&StL colors. This caboose stands as a rare relic of history, as the last existing NE-3 class member, with the others being scrapped in 1968.