Louisville & Nashville "Lil Woody"

02/19/2026

When those early 1900 square bolts won’t cooperate…you re-introduce them to fire.

These tensioning/anchor rods required bending and straightening in order to re-used. The rods could be found aproximately every three to four feet between the roof supports and through the header board. These provided strenghth between both exterior and end walls.

Although damaged and corroded they were found to be in good order once heat was applied and threads cleaned.

02/15/2026

Sister cab 1831 of our “Little Woody” being lifted for final placement after decades of service. “Eddie Lee’s caboose can be seen on the end of the caboose along with the “Bad Ordered” seen on the side right above the truck.

It was not uncommon that railroaders were given the opportunitunity to own their cabs once retired. However, moving them would tend to make challenge for any collector.

Most importantly in the photo is a glimpse of the cupola that is atop the cab. Given the extensive damage to our cab it’s always good to see how variations of the L&N cabooses made in their designs.

While we begin to thaw out of the deep freeze a replacement cupola has been underway while straightening out tensioning rods.

Stay tuned as we begin the transformation this spring.

12/18/2025

While its certainly a change in the season its also a change in seeing a vintage 1920 Caboose in 3D CAD Design. While materials are gathered for the replacement of the inner skeleton of the supports of the walls we are mapping those supports.

From 2D images to 3D design the future generations will be able to see exactly what's behind the tongue and groove. Stay tuned as we begin repairing the broken or bent steel supports and railings.

11/19/2025

Quick update regarding the 1927 Louisville & Nashville “Little Woody” caboose.

11/07/2025

As we mentioned in a previous video the process of milling wood was often by hand or by one of theses texhniques. This process (while modern then) resulted in thicker dimensional wood.

We’re in the process of transforming and repurposing wood to ensure this cabooses’ heritage lives on for another century.

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11/06/2025

The process of reclaiming period wood is both time consuming and tedious. However, like the upcoming video will show, traditional milling techniques contributed to rough cut grades that weren’t always square/dimensional.

We’re very happy with the process! &N

11/03/2025

Restoration Update ‼️🚂

Given the extensive amount of rot in the header both right and left sides of the caboose are unstable. The Roof has been removed and we have placed a temporary tarp over to protect the interior.

10/29/2025

Restoration update on "Lil Woody" 🚂

Before and After, Missing header board from years of decay. The rot extends from front to rear requiring a complete replacement.

Visible are the original vertical tensioning rods to secure the header to the frame.

10/22/2025