Mobile Classroom
Hits the Road

“Get’em in the house, then educate ‘em.”

So reads the credo of legendery newspaper editor Joseph Pulitzer, whose eye-catching headlines drew scores of readers to his paper. The same can be said for the ambitious Maine Operation Lifesaver crew who started with an idea being kicked around a kitchen table and built a mobiel classroom, attraction, and informational tool.

Thanks to Walter Zaccadelli of Guilford Rail System’s Safety Department, Jim Finney, Fred Hirsch , Joe Landry of International Paper, Emmons Lancaster, Chuck Downing, and a host of financial contributors, Maine Operation Lifesaver’s replica 3/4 size Maine Central Railroad caboose is ready to go on the road.

Regular monthly meetings became work sessions at the home of OL volunteer Joe Landry. Joe was instrumental in soliciting the majority of donations of cash and materials for this unique project. The caboose-education center, which can serve as a parade float will hook onto a vehicle for transport to any number of events.

Besides the special attraction of a railroad caboose, youngsters will be invited inside, where they can pick up educational material and watch a safety video about highway and rail grade crossings and the dangers found around railroad yards and tracks.

Guilford Rail’s Walter Zaccadelli and the Maine Narrow Gauge’s Emmons Lancaster were on hand with the caboose during the Portland Boat Show to answer any questions and to educate people about staying safe around the tracks.

The caboose includes ample room for seating and the storage of educational items. The walls are decorated with safety posters. To make the caboose look as realistic as possible, donated items were installed, including working lanterns, grab rails, a non-functional pot belly stove, a ladder leading into the cupola, and even a brake hose.

While all of these accessories give the caboose a realistic appearance, they are also intended to get a viewer’s attention long enough so that they get the all important message. “People don’t understand how hard it is for a train to stop,” said retired Maine Central employee Emmons Lancaster, one of the volunteers who helped assemble the caboose. “A 100 car train is equal to 5,000 mid-sized automobiles. It takes a train travelling 30 mph half a mile to stop.”

The caboose has been booked for appearances at several events in 1997. It has already appeared at the Portland flower and boat shows, whose combined attendance exceeded 20,000 people. For an appearance at an event you know of, or for educational material, contact Maine Operation Lifesaver, 48 Oak St., Old Town, ME 04468 or call at: (207) 827-0360.