L&N 1148 | 8×10 | Oil on Panel

Inspiration for L&N 1148

I began painting L&N 1148 like many other pieces, en plain air. On this particular occasion, I was participating in the Milton/Bagdad Plein Air paintout; my first time attending the event. As it turned out, I happened to win best of show: sometimes a guy gets lucky. 😉 After the event, I brought the painting back to the studio to tidy up some details.  I enjoy painting trains, and eagerly look forward to expanding my “Travel by Rail” series in the future.

History about the L&N 1148 caboose

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad built this steel, bay window caboose in April 1965 at its South Louisville shops in Kentucky. The caboose was originally painted gray with red letters. During its lifetime, it was renumbered Louisville and Nashville #6148 then Seaboard #16148. CSX retired the caboose in 1989, and donated it to the West Florida Railroad Museum. Museum members restored and repainted the L&N 1148 during the 1990’s, selecteding red as the color-scheme.

The L&N 1148 exhibits a later version of the lookout function of cabooses. Both the older cupola and the newer bay window models allowed the crew members to watch the trains from the rear. Learn more about the caboose and the museum where it’s located at West Florida Railroad Museum’s website!