A Tale of 2 MTH Cabooses

Mark, I have RK and Premier examples of this caboose (different roads) and noticed the same detail differences as you.  I also have several MTH Northeastern steel cabooses, some that were sold as RK, some as Premier.  They are identical, with a Premier level of detail.

John

You didn't mention that the RailKing caboose has small-diameter pickup rollers.  These can get caught in the flangeways of certain 90-degree crossings.  The Premier caboose has larger rollers that don't get caught anywhere.

@Bob posted:

You didn't mention that the RailKing caboose has small-diameter pickup rollers.  These can get caught in the flangeways of certain 90-degree crossings.  The Premier caboose has larger rollers that don't get caught anywhere.

Didn’t mention cause it escaped my attention. Thx for pointing it out.

@Bob posted:

You didn't mention that the RailKing caboose has small-diameter pickup rollers.  These can get caught in the flangeways of certain 90-degree crossings.  The Premier caboose has larger rollers that don't get caught anywhere.

There are some work-a rounds for the small MTH rollers. One involved bending the contact connector down slightly and second was good lubrication on the roller shaft.

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

A comparison of a Railking Union Pacific Offset Steel Caboose vs. a Premier Union Pacific Offset Steel Caboose. Both have the same dimensions, interior illumination and the same weight.

Nicely done study on these two cabeese Mark. 

Thanks for your efforts and sharing.

So which one is going up for sale? 

Ron - Railking went bye bye a good long while ago. This was a pending post from 09/22 that I incorrectly believed I’d already submitted. Needed a tail end for Tuesday, so….

For what it's worth, those cabooses appear to be models of a Santa Fe prototype. Certainly NOT UP, regardless of the paint & lettering.