A Top Seller caboose if offered in O Scale!

Swafford,

   The old Union Railroad here in East Pittsburgh, Pa has a big work station Caboose like this, however it is even bigger, with a longer bed and more trucks, painted White & Black, it some times sits here over Brown Ave/Beulah Rd, on the high Trestle as they re-work the Trestle, a way cool piece of equipment, heck I would even like to own the one pictured, painted in White with Black lettering with the Union RailRoad Ident on her, really like to have the actual URR work Station Caboose in O Gauge, but doubt I will ever see one, this one is close however. 

PCRR/Dave

I've only seen it in brass one time. I'm in for buying a few, pending road names. Conrail blue and Westinghouse blue for me!

The Southern Pacific has a similar short bay window caboose.  SP class C-50-10.  It was a prototype for a new class, so there was only one built.

Frank,

Even though I usually buy models of modern equipment, I would buy in this type of caboose (preferably in red color), as it reminds me of popular 2-axle broad-gauge brake-vans that are still extensively used at the end of every freight-train in India.

 

http://i.imgur.com/S5EvZRp.jpg

 

http://www.irfca.org/gallery/W...g2_imageViewsIndex=1

 

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

the problem with offering a model of a transfer caboose is that very few were built as new.  most were cobbled together from retired rolling stock.  caboose bodies were sometimes mounted on flat cars or they were constructed from cut down boxcars.

 

the main difference between road and transfer cabooses were the lack of most living facilities (beds, toilets, etc) and a much less comfortable ride on standard freight trucks.

 

cheers...gary

Also, the UP CA11 cabooses are loosely based on the MP short bay window pictured, except they have the full length roof and solid panels between the end of the cabin and the steps.

Lionel made one in a Transylvania scheme.

Talking true O scale

 

I wish every year, however the marketing companies are a bit cautious to make costly new tooling.

On the other hand, modelers who know about these are few, which would limit sales.

 

 

 

The N&W and EL cars would be stand-ins for the actual transfer cabooses operated by those roads.  They both had more traditional versions with the short and very simplified cabins.  I know that Overland offered both of these in brass in HO.  I have no idea if they ever did them in O scale.

 

Many other roads either had versions of the MP/UP/Family Lines vintage bought secondhand, and many others had transfer cabooses that were similar enough that a stand-in might be close enough.

 

Bluford Shops offers these cars in N scale and HO scale.  They have on their website photos and descriptions of the cars in a multitude of schemes with lineage stated. Again, some are accurate, and some are foobie stand-ins that are close enough and I'm sure help the bottom line.

 

Jim

UP still uses these in the Green maintenance of way paint scheme.  And apparently several railroads have acquired the MP/UP cabooses second hand.  So they are kinda, sorta, still modern.  If you're trying hard to justify one...

Some years ago  Conrail had one at the Conway Yards. I took video of it but can't remember if I took any stills of it. It was used on a small work train.

Lots of info at the Screaming Eagles website.

Grand Trunk Western had transfer cabooses in Battle Creek, MI in the 1990's.

 

I would get a GTW transfer caboose.

 

 

Andrew

The Pittsburgh & Lake Erie had a few of these that they used at the yard in McKees Rocks.  The PRR also had several of these at the Pitcairn yard.  If I remember correctly,  the PRR called them poleing (or poling) cars because there were notches or pockets cut into the sides of the caboose.  A pole would be placed into the pocket and used to shove or push a car on an adjoining track,  thereby avoiding an extra switching move.  Don't know if this was legal or accepted PRR practice   Maybe you Pennsy experts can chime in and let us know if I have the story correct. 

 

Nick

Be careful (or very specific) what you wish for. Lionel gave us this in a few road names.

 

 

Milwaukee Road:

 

That Lionel CNW car is certainly "Cheap and Nothing Wasted".

I picked up a Lionel version with plans to repaint and add some details but the car was so light and the rails are so flimsy that I abandoned the project. the car sits in a drawer somewhere in the garage now.

I did like the real railroads did... I built my own.

 

Tom