Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Crews complete caboose relocatin for park playhouse

With the end of school on May 27, Gurdon street workers got serious about one of the mayor's play projects for children  the revitalization of the city caboose in the form of a playhouse at the park.

The track went down first, with Union Pacific moving the 40-foot rails to the elevated platform in the front of Gurdon City Park.

The elevation came earlier this spring, when city workers took several loads of dirt to the front of the park, just next to where the old horseshoe pits are.

Street Superintendent Jim Caldwell said city workers moved the railroad ballast rock and put the wooden ties in place.

The caboose, which was a Missouri-Pacific, and has been out of production for decades, is between 8 and 9 feet wide and railroad red.

"We want it to be repainted to be just like it was, in order to be more of an antique," Caldwell said. "We hope to get the paint donated from the railroad."

The superintendent said the MoPac sign will be left on the caboose, to further enhance its historical value.

Caldwell said Mayor Clayton Franklin has been wanting to move the caboose and establish it as a kids' playhouse in the Gurdon City Park since the first part of the year.

"We did not want to rush things, as much of this project has been donated or done at a reduced rate," Caldwell said.

Tommy Ricketts, owner of Ricketts' Towing and Recovery Diesel and Wrecker Service, said his Gurdon company put in about three hours on Tuesday getting the caboose ready to move from South Front Street next to the old city jail. Then Ricketts' put in another four or five hours on Wednesday getting the caboose placed down on the rails at the park.

"My understanding is my labor and the fuel for this is a donation to the project," Ricketts said. "All I asked was enough pay to cover my workers who helped."

Caldwell assured Ricketts the city would stand by the agreement.

"We are glad for the help," Caldwell said. "This project has been slow because we have had to wait on convenient times for our volunteers but it is getting done.

"We hope to have a kids' day one Saturday soon and have some sort of grand opening ceremony about the caboose/playhouse, once it is totally ready to go."

Franklin said the caboose project is the latest step in the ongoing effort to improve the park. Painting of playground equipment and the installation of new lights were two earlier efforts this spring at city park upkeep and enhancement.