Baxter Depot Keeping L&N Caboose in the Community

The Friends of the Baxter Depot reached out to Cookeville about the L&N Caboose because they wanted to keep it local.

President Glenn Jones said the group would get to work moving the caboose after Cookeville city council approved the move Thursday night.

“I remember in 1986 when they actually brought the L&N Caboose to Cookeville and it was great then and since we built a new depot in Baxter about six or seven years ago, it would be a great fit for it to go to Baxter and be showcased next to that depot,” Jones said.

Jones said they don’t have an estimate for total cost, but it will have to cover labor, fixing the bed where it will sit, new cross ties and rail lines, as well as moving costs. Jones said they can move it with a crane either onto a truck or onto tracks and roll it to Baxter.

Jones said he doesn’t think Cookeville’s six month timeline will pose an issue as long as they can come up with fund.

Jones said the depot community knew for about four years that Cookeville was looking to replace the caboose, and that he reached out to Mayor Shelton once he heard they were going through with the plan.

“I talked to the lady in charge of the depot in Cookeville, and she was telling me it was going to through to auction, and I thought ‘if it went to auction it could go anywhere–it could go to another state, or even another country,'” Jones said. “So I figured it needed to stay in Putnam County.”

Jones said he hopes the addition of the caboose will help make the depot look more historical.