The Lehigh and New England caboose 580 was originally built for the Reading Railroad in the 1930’s.
Its design, used by several railroads, would come to be referred to as a “Northeast Caboose”.

Today it is owned and operated by the Tri-State Railway Historical Society.
The 580 was restored by a team of ‘Tri-State’ volunteers lead by Don Oberding.

It was moved March 25, 2009 from its long time home on a siding in Port Murray, NJ on the Norfolk Southern Washington Secondary
to the Whippany Railway Museum by way of NJ Transit's Morris and Essex line (DL&W Morris and Essex branch).

L&NE 580 on its move March 25, 2009 from Port Murray, NJ to Whippany, NJ
(A happy Don Oberding waves from the rear platform)

 The Lehigh and New England Railroad (L&NE) was likely the least known of the great anthracite coal lines of the Northeast.
Its peers were the Reading, Lehigh Valley, Erie, Jersey Central, Lehigh & Hudson River and others.

The railroad had a very tumultuous history due to its small size, few markets served, and circuitous main line and as a result had a very hard time earning healthy profits for much of its life.
By the late 1950’s, with anthracite demand quickly drying up and no other significant means of traffic to replace the losses, the L&NE called it quits in 1961
The Central Railroad of New Jersey picked up most of the remaining pieces of the railroad.

Caboose 580 continues to proudly serve on regular excursions at the Whippany Railway Museum.