In April ‘19, I thought how cool it would be to graduate from building the layout to building rolling stock. I had never built any actual trains for the layout and wanted to explore this. I found a great deal for a kit on the bay, Ambroid NKP plate caboose, O-10, which I had no business buying with no NKP engines on my roster at the time. A few weeks later, I became interested in a steam era Northern Pacific caboose, with none available except brass models at about $400, and I ran across another caboose kit on the bay for the Northern Pacific kit, Ambroid O-13. The bug bit me again in May ‘19 for another caboose kit, a C&O wood sheathed caboose from Quality Craft. All of these kits were designed to be 2 rail, with no windows or trucks included. These three kits from the 70’s (?) sat in their boxes for a while.
In July of 19’, I ended up getting a DMIR caboose from Malcome (Brother Love on OGR) shown below. What a beautiful model! What a great inspiration to get started on my caboose kits, but just never did. The painting is fantastic on this model of his!
Then COVID restrictions hit in March. With a lack of options to satisfy the train fix, I decided to start the NKP caboose in April. The kit was a craftsmen kit, not designed to have inside access to the interior when complete, so I started down the path where the top would be assembled separately to help with windows later on. I made good progress on this for a while, and besides the modifications so the roof would be removable, basically built it to the plan set except modifications to allow the atlas three rail truck bolsters to more closely hug the under carriage. There were allot of compromises with the undercarriage detail to allow these track the clearance they needed. I had a lot of issue gluing the white metal pieces in place. At the time, I wasn’t planning on doing anything with the interior and got about 90% complete and was not ready to commit to painting it. I recently had several bad experiences with paint when working with my son on his rocket kits. With out confidence to paint this yet, I moved on to the next kit.
In May, I decided to start on the Northern Pacific kit next. When starting the kit, I followed the directions and cut out the windows and then noticed the picture included with it didn’t match plan sets with regards to window arrangements. I attempted to change it. In researching it, I had no idea there were so many different window arrangements. Along with this I seemed to find allot of exceptions to the plan sets when looking at the picture included with it. In attempt to match the picture I manage to cut windows out to match the picture and I also cut down door size.
Then, after applying the sanding sealer and sanding several times with steel wool, I was ready to assemble the kit so it’s roof was also removable. As I started to assemble it, I realized I miss measured the caboose sides. Bummer.. With the caboose already looking like Swiss cheese, I contemplated getting another kit to replace it, or ordering styrene and attempting to start over. I ended up going the styrene route, and also ordered a bunch of detail parts as well, such as nut-bolt- washer combinations introduced to me from Malcome (Brother love on OGR). After the supplies arrived, I decided to do the entire caboose out of styrene. The coupla windows were the hardest to cut out where the top and bottom edges are curved and the windows should plum. After four completed couplas that were all scrapped later, I gave up and rolled with my last one. For the roof, I glued several preformed styrene curved roof pieces together. I first used the water heater as a curve and then transitioned to a paint can, where I heated up the styrene taped to the surface and let it cool.
The directions had you use wire for the platform hand rails, but I could not find a single picture where NP herald was used with wire hand rails, they all looked to use iron stock. The only tools I had for any of these cabooses was a power drill, a micro hand drill, a dremel, a knife and a t-square. I cut out the end platform rails from brass stock and soldered them together. While not perfect, they seemed to capture the prototype much better. I should have not used the white metal ladders provided in the kits as they are difficult to glue to and cannot be soldered to. I also built the roof walks where they sit on top of brass nubs so they can be removed and reattached for painting.
The included smoke stack with NP caboose kit looked way under size to me. I tried ordering several smoke stacks, and none of them looked right after receiving them. I think that is the toughest part in these projects, in finding the right part with out seeing it in person first. I made several attempts to create my own using various brass stock and white metal castings shown in pic below (the upper three). I ended up using one of my home made ones, the very top one. The 2nd and 3rd from the top I ended up using on the other two cabooses over the stock ones provided in the kit.
Once again, with most of caboose completed, and afraid to paint again, I started on the 3rd caboose in September, the C&O one. I decided to do a bit of hybrid and make the roof out of styrene. I mis interpreted the initial pictures I saw on line of the roof being very thick, as opposed to only the out side edge. I thought if the whole roof had several preformed styrene roof pieces glued together, that it would look better and be stronger. I used the same approach of preheating it on a curved surface. I found it difficult to get the same curved roof for the whole length of the caboose, so there is a slight warp in it. I gave up on using the white metal ladders and bought several different brass ones. What a huge improvement that I should have done sooner. I also made rerailer racks for under the caboose and added the aftermarket rerailer.
In the last couple of pictures you can see the lanterns as well that I bought separately. I soldered a brass tube with a ID of 1mm to one of the lenses which protrude into the caboose for mount the lenses and large enough to allow a micro bulb or LED. I also went back and added these to the NP caboose. The NKP caboose had marker lights included, I did my best in drilling them out for lenses and added them to the caboose coupla.
I thought at this point I was out of things to do and left to finally tackle the painting. After looking inside my Lionel B&O I12 caboose recently, the interior looked so nice, I decided to go ahead with full interiors. As I thought this out more, if I ever planned to do interiors in the future, it would be tough to come back and paint them with out breaking details items off disassembling and reassembling along with dealing with windows.
Since Thanksgiving, I have been working on building interiors for these cabooses. Images are shown below. For each of them, I made the interior removalable so I could paint them easier. The interiors have been based on the actual proto types based on some images posted by others on the forum as well as online images. I have not worked out if I will add windows frames on the interior. I suspect I may cause more problems installing them and I am not sure how noticeable they would be when looking in.
NP Caboose
NKP Caboose
C&O Caboose
For each of these cabooses, all the little stuff adds up. I have been working on these a little bit a time for months. The more costly brass cabooses seem like a good value when looking for specific prototypes not already mass produced, especially when factoring in the extras and labor. I am also finding the Atlas 3rail caboose trucks, while nice, are not right for several of these caboose prototypes.
Left to do on the three cabooses.
-I need to build some rough stoves for each of the cabooses
-Actually mount the trucks.
-Work out how the wires and power bus will be integrated from the trucks to the marker and interior lights. I plan to use some thin sheet brass to along the walls for this.
-Make a decision on LEDs or incandescents and a circuit to light them. I really like the look of the incandescents, but LEDs hopefully would never need to be replaced. I am little concerned on the NP caboose being styrene and any potential heat associated with a circuit issue.
-Order and add chains to the C&O caboose platform (not included with caboose)
-Paint the interiors/exteriors. I am by no means an expert with the Air Brush and acrylics. I have been using a testors Aztec brush in the past, with mixed results. I have an Iwata received as a gift last year still in the box that I need to get and play with it.
-Make a decision on the window material and install them
With a little luck, maybe I will finish them all before a year goes by (April), when I started the first one.
I also have 4th kit picked up on the cheap recently (image below) if I remain squeamish on the painting. Seriously, I have a commitment to myself to finish the three kits before moving on. I would really like to start a N&W wood sheathed caboose kit in the near future if I could find one....
I thought others might be interested In this journey and might pursue something similar.
After I started these, there has been an awesome thread on OGR with an Erie caboose that it’s peices were built using software and I think a laser, where once cut out, the various pieces basically snapped together with a little glue. Very cool technologies for more quickly producing small runs of specific prototypes.
I welcome any feedback or suggestions on the journey remaining for me here. Thanks for following along!
Mike
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) Learned some neat tricks along the way, too.
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