--- In STMFC@..., Frederick Freitas <prrinvt@...> wrote:

List,

Happened upon a photo of a NYC plywood sided caboose taken

in the Ohio area.

The unusual, for me, was the lack of marker lights and the

substitution of what look like ping pong paddles in their place. Can
any of the more enlightened NYC fans give a short reply as to the exact
nature of the devicces, and the era used? Hoping they are good for 1953.

Fred, I believe the paddles were a 60s phenomenon, but I could be
wrong. I have no evidence to back me up other than my vague
recollection that most of the dated photos I've seen of them are from
the 60s. I presume it was a cost-cutting expedient to save on the
expense of kerosene lanterns, and for that reason alone it is
unattractive to me, being symbolic of the modern era even if it may
have occurred before 1960.

Jeff English
Troy, New York
(home of an existing 19th-century gasholder, a circular brick structure
with a shallow-dome roof supported by iron trusses, and which used to
house an iron vessel that rose and fell in proportion to the volume of
gas stored therein. An elevation view of the roof truss is
incorporated into the graphic logo of the Society for Industrial
Archeology, who appreciate such things.)