Bay Windows in South Carolina

outhern #X436 has found a second life in the Palmetto State, as Greenville & Western Railway #436. Based in Belton in northwest South Carolina, GRLW is a shortline operating a segment of the former Piedmont & Northern Railway — rare in the south for its use of overhead electrification. The PN ceased operations in 1969. Caboose 436 has been thoroughly overhauled by the shortline and wears a smart adaptation of Southern's caboose red and yellow highlighting. Upper and lower stripes adorn the sides, and the car is lettered and numbered for its current owner. Although not ordinarily used in regular freight operations, the car does make appearances in excursions and holiday specials. GRLW #436 remains a superb example of a long-body bay window built new in Southern's second generation of cabooses.

outhern #X3164 has been on display in Clemson, South Carolina, since the early 1970s. Donated by the Southern Railway and underwritten by the Clemson class of 1939, today the caboose is an anchor display in the South Carolina Botanical Garden located on the campus of Clemson University. Caboose X3164 is rare in the large family of preserved Southern bay windows because it was never rebuilt from its original configuration and was donated out of the fleet well before the cessation of mainline caboose service. As such, it still retains a four-digit car number. The car also features riveted side panels, eight side windows in addition to the bays (on one side), metal awnings over all its windows, and roof walkways in combination with end ladders. All of these features were removed when the fleet was rebuilt in serval batches. As of 2024, the Clemson caboose is in superb physical and cosmetic condition. It bears correct lettering and numbering, proper red body paint and yellow highlighting, and retains a handful of authentic data and slogan stencils. Markings peculiar to the university have been added, along with permanent stairs to the end platforms. The car sits in a beautifully curated garden just northeast of the park entrance.

outhern #X475 spends retirement on display at the Midland Valley Library in Langley, South Carolina, east of Augusta, Georgia. Langley was once served by the Augusta-Aiken Railway, an electric interurban route. Today the Norfolk Southern still operates the nearby former Southern mainline between Augusta and Columbia. Caboose X475 is a beautifully preserved long-body bay window, complete with proper caboose red paint, yellow highlighting of grabs and steps, and all its major appliances. The carbody lacks technical data and other markins, but retains the proper aluminum window frames. It resides on short display track, parallel to an out-of-service branch line. Souther applied a variety of axle-driven generators to the bay windows to supply power for lights and radios; this caboose retains one of the less-common types.

outhern #X781 is on display outdoors in Ridge Spring, South Carolina. Its display track is situated in between and parallel to South Carolina Route 23 and Norfolk Southern's mainline between Columbia and Augusta, Georgia. The car is used as a welcome center for the town's annual Harvest Festival, and is marked and decorated as such. X781 is a short-body rebuilt bay window. evidenced by the blanked out inside windows nearest to the bay outcroppings. As of 2024, the car appears in good physical shape, but it has been painted in another shade of red with black and yellow highlights, and a black roof. The car retains no lettering, numbering, or technical marking of any kind. At only four miles apart, the Ridge Spring caboose and the Ward caboose must surely be the closest surviving Southern bay windows on public display.

outhern #X3115 is beautifully preserved outdoors at the Hub City Railroad Museum in downtown Spartanburg, SC, adjacent to Norfolk Southern's Crescent Division mainline. The museum shares the former Southern Railway union station with a waiting room for Amtrak's night Crescent service between New Orleans and New York. This caboose is one of only a handful of surviving Southern bay windows (including the car nearby at Clemson) built by the railroad itself at the company's Haynes car shop, but we never subsequently rebuilt to later mainline and local specifications for the 3-digit bay fleet. Indicators of that rare status include: a four-digit road number, four windows on each side (exclusive of the bay), riveted side panels, awnings over the windows, and a roof walkway. The museum has also completely finished the inside of the car, which features an HO model railroad layout, several exhibits, and various model railroad items for sale. A special side door has been added to allow easy access for museum visitors.

outhern #X476 rests in retirement in the shade of a large tree along the right of way of the Southern's former line through Springfield, South Carolina, which ran between Perry and Blackville but is now removed. Here in Springfield, the route is now a paved walking trail. Caboose #X476 bears all the marks of a retired Southern bay window, including the railroad's trademark caboose red paint, yellow highlighting of steps and railings, aluminum frame windows, and all the various appliances still attached to the carbody and trucks. Although the car remains lettered and numbered for Southern, no other markings or technical data are present. As of 2023, the car's paint was showing significant wear from the elements. It sits adjacent to the town's covered grandstand pavilion and veterans memorial, all downtown. Meanwhile, Springfield has been host to the Governor’s Frog Jump for nearly 50 years.

outhern #X592 sits on permanent between the Post Office and Town Hall of the village of Ward, South Carolina — population 111. The display has been beautified with the addition of a town clock, and the caboose rests in the shadow of the community's massive water tower. Ward is located along the Norfolk Southern's Columbia to Augusta, Georgia, mainline. X592 is a good example of a long-body bay window built new for the fleet. As of 2024, the car is in reasonable physical shape, despite missing all four of its steps and showing signs of welded repair on the street side. It has been repainted in another shade of red, has inauthentic lettering and numbering, and lacks any other markings or yellow highlights. Unpainted aluminum window frames and the axle-mounted generator are intact. At only four miles apart, the Ward caboose and the Ridge Spring caboose must surely be the closest surviving Southern bay windows on public display.

outhern #X420 is on display trackside in Memory Park, in the upstate community of Wellford, South Carolina, west of Spartanburg. The parks sits adjacent to Norfolk Southern's busy Crescent Division mainline, ex Southern Railway. The city has placed concrete steps next to the caboose platforms on one side of the car, and a large deck has been built on the other side. As of 2024, the car wears a prototypical caboose red (albeit peeling) and sports lettering, numbering, and a few technical markings. The axle-mounted generator has been removed; the trucks have had their stamped technical markings painted white. Otherwise, X420 is a good example of a short-body bay window built new for mainline service.

outhern #X484 is on display in the South Carolina village of Windsor, east of Augusta, Georgia. The car's short display track is aligned with the right of way of the historic Charleston-Augusta mainline: one of the first stretches of overland railroad in the southeast. Windsor is in a segment of that route that was abandoned and removed by the Norfolk Southern, but the line is still in use by NS east of Branchville to Charleston. To the west of Windsor and its caboose, the shortline Aiken Railway operates a short segment of the route between Montmorenci through Aiken to the NS at Warrenville. As of 2023, caboose X484 has been repainted and is in excellent physical shape. The car sports a close approximation of Southern's caboose red, along with yellow highlighting of the steps and handrails. However, the roof and window frames have been painted black, and the lettering and numbering are not in the authentic font. There are no other markings are technical data retained on the outside. Absent any blanked-out windows, the car remains a good example of long-body bays built new for the Southern's second generation of mainline caboose service.