Museum lands grant to proceed with more caboose improvements

The Greybull Museum has received a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, to complete renovations to the caboose located at the museum.
The Burlington Caboose located in front of the museum was initially used to house the Greybull Area Chamber of Commerce. It was moved by Burlington Northern to its present location at the museum.
The association recently assisted with the labor to work on the caboose, repainting the exterior in original colors, prepping and painting the undercarriage, replacing windows and the deck located at the entrance to the caboose.
With the assistance of the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, the association will be able to complete the roof replacement, completely refurbish the interior, build an exit stairway for one way traversing of the interior and make the entrance as ADA compliant as possible.
Upon completion, a display inside the museum proper will be developed for those unable to access the interior due to door size. The project will require removal of several layers of roofing materials that have been added over the years, which will be replaced by a composite roof. Interior renovation will require removal of all artifacts found within the caboose, scraping, repainting and repair of the interior, removal and cleaning/replacing materials such as bed coverings, window curtains, bench and seat coverings that are presently inside the caboose. The items that will be located inside the caboose were used by railroaders involved with the caboose during their tenure with the railroad.
“With the amount of local people and visitors to our community that have requested access, we have been unable to allow people to enter the caboose because of safety issues,” said Eddie Johnson, who is coordinating the project. “The goal is to complete the repair and renovation of the caboose so the museum can use the caboose to demonstrate the impact the railroad has had on our town through tours and programs for students, visitors and local residents.”
Along with the assistance of the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, resources for completion of this project will be provided by volunteers who will assist in all aspects of the project. The association has a cadre of volunteers who will donate time and labor toward the project.
“The museum board wishes to express its appreciation to all the volunteers that have donated time to our endeavors and the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund for their assistance allowing us to complete this project,” said Johnson.