Many have a few days off between Christmas and New Years off with maybe time available to work on a small and quick train project. How about some ideas of such projects? I will start with one below.
A Homemade Bobber Caboose
Recently a homemade transfer caboose was built and posted on it. Caboose time is still in full play here, with cold winter days keeping me in, so here is another caboose project with few more coming soon to your favorite train forum.
A cheap Lionel Rock Island 8078 Bobber caboose that works well with a Lionel General 4-4-0 locomotive freight train has been owned for awhile. Lionel even has recently reissued this Bobber caboose in several more railroad names and is sold with more expensive sets.
I have three General 4-4-0 locomotives and coal tenders and would like to have a second Bobber caboose. I also have several Lionel SP type caboose shells, many in poor condition, so it is time to make a second Bobber caboose.
A caboose shell, with a good cupola section and front and back roof overhangs was picked from the scrape pile. The caboose was cut to use the short end with cupola and cut the roof overhang end from the other end and glued the two together. A base was made from 1/8 inch Masonite and made brackets to hold train wheels axles. Four wheels from old Marx metal wheel trucks were used and made two axles from a heavy coat hanger wire. A Lionel coupling was added to one end of the car. Hand rails were made from 16 ga solid cooper wire with a jig.
The area below the end platforms was strengthen and the hand rails were installed. The car was painted with spray paint, silver on the ends and roof and yellow on the sides to be a Rio Grande Railroad Bobber caboose.
A small smoke stack was added to the roof and old Rio Grande decals were over sprayed with clear paint to ensure they held together when wetted with water to apply. They were then applied to the car sides and over coated with Matte clear spray paint.
Picture below with the Lionel 8087 Bobber caboose
Below is a more recent picture showing the end walk ways and steps painted Silver verses black before.
This was fun little easy project. I now have two Bobber cabooses to allow running two General freight trains.
Let us hear from you all on small and quick train projects for the Holiday free time.
Charlie
