These photos are from the fall of 1984. My friend Grant Carpenter and I were off to the wilds of West Virginia (Mecca for N & W fans) and headed up WV 112 along the N & W when we decided to take a side road to check out a VGN trestle. We turned onto WV 38/4 (Harmon Branch Road maybe?) and found the trestle. The trestle was impressive, but there was no easy way to get to the top and no reason to hike. We continued up the road, headed toward Princeton. When we topped out at the top of the mountain, Grant looked east and mentioned the view of the Narrows of the New River in the distance. I directed him to look down and look closer, at the Virginian caboose sitting in the pasture just below us.
We scoped out the site and didn't find anyone home at the adjacent house trailer, hence we got no details about the history or ownership of VGN 75. We snapped some photographs for posterity and headed on down the road, which eventually became Greasy Ridge Road that ended at U.S. 460 at I-77 (where the WVa Welcome Center is located). If you take Greasy Ridge Rd. (WV 219/2), the caboose is/was on the lefthand side of the road.
The only details I remember (not that there was much to see) indicated that the caboose had been painted in the Princeton Shops. I haven't been that way since then, so I don't know if the cab is still there, or what condition it may be in if it is. Any details would be appreciated.
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