Mars in Butler County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

B & O Caboose #C2235

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2018

1. B & O Caboose #C2235 Marker

Inscription.
Now a Mars landmark this caboose was built in 1921. The Mars Area History & Landmarks Society acquired it in 1989 from the Sandala Farm on Cashdollar Road where it was used as a club house for the Boy Scouts. The caboose was damaged by fire on one occasion. It was hauled by tractor trailer to its present location where it was reassembled and restored.

Prior to the Society getting the caboose it had been altered from time to time. A toilet was added and the windows on that side were eliminated. The wheelbase was lengthened and a concrete floor was added to enable it to be pushed on without danger of collapse.

Inside can be seen an alternator under one of the bunks that was belt driven by one of the axles. It was used to charge the batteries that furnished power for the outside marker lights and some interior ones. Meals were cooked on the coal stove. The elevated seats were used to monitor the wheel bearings of the train cars in front for overheating. Today trackside sensors monitor wheel bearing overheating problems and signals are sent via satellite to the engineer and to train headquarters.

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1921.

Location. 40° 41.686′ N, 80° 0.529′ W. Marker is in Mars, Pennsylvania, in Butler County. It is at the intersection of Mars Valencia Road (Pennsylvania Route 3015) and Brickyard Road, on the left when traveling south on Mars Valencia Road. The marker is mounted on the north end of the subject caboose, on the Mars Area History and Landmarks Society grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Brickyard Road, Mars PA 16046, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northwestern Pennsylvania

and in Greater Pittsburgh.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2018

2. B & O Caboose #C2235 Marker

The marker is mounted on the door at the north end of the caboose.

flies: Welcome to Adams Station (within shouting distance of this marker); Mars (within shouting distance of this marker); The "BALL" Oilfield Engine (within shouting distance of this marker); Aermotor Windmill (within shouting distance of this marker); USS Mars AFS-1 Ship's Bell (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Samuel Kennedy Memorial (about 800 feet away); Venango Path (approx. 3½ miles away); 1806 Plains Presbyterian Church (approx. 4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mars.

Also see . . . Caboose (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: Cabooses provided shelter for crew (conductor and flagman) at the end of a train, who were formerly required for rear-end protection in non-signaled territory, switching and shunting; as well as in keeping a lookout for load shifting, damage to equipment and cargo, and overheating axles. Originally flatcars fitted with cabins or modified box cars, they later became purpose-built, with bay windows above or to the sides of the car to allow crew to observe the train. The caboose also served as the conductor's office, and on long routes, included sleeping accommodations
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2018

3. B & O Caboose #C2235 End Platform
The marker is mounted on the door.
and cooking facilities.
Cabooses were used on every freight train in the United States and Canada until the 1980s, when safety laws requiring the presence of cabooses and full crews were relaxed. A major purpose of the caboose was for observing problems at the rear of the train before they caused trouble. Lineside defect detectors and end-of-train devices eliminated much of this need. Older freight cars had plain bearings with hot boxes for crews to spot overheating – as freight cars replaced these with roller bearings, there was also less need for cabooses to monitor them. Nowadays, they are generally only used on rail maintenance or hazardous materials trains, as a platform for crew on industrial spur lines when it is required to make long reverse movements, or on heritage and tourist railroads.

(Submitted on July 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

B & O Caboose #C2235 Dates image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2018

4. B & O Caboose #C2235 Dates

Built 1921
Rebuilt 1989 & 2015

B & O Caboose #C2235 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2018

5. B & O Caboose #C2235

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 31, 2018

6. B & O Caboose #C2235

Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.