Building a Colorado Midland Caboose

Nice neat work.....good to see some building!!! 

Great!  My favorite caboose.  Huff-and-Puff still offers a CM boxcar kit?  InterMountain

did a CM USRA 55ton 2-bay hopper kit for the 1994 O Scale National that should be out

there.

The Midland boxcar was an undecorated kit. I've got two of the hoppers, along with three or four of the steel reefers. They're nice, but more modern than what I'm trying for.

Bad day and Good day all at once. Have a terrible head cold and stayed home from work. On the other hand, made a lot of progress on the caboose. It's not perfect by any means, but I'm happy with my first attempt at doing something like this.

It's now roughed together:

I can't tell from my few pictures if the roof was painted black or red. If anyone out there knows, I would be thankful if you would share the information with me.

"Mel" McFarland, in Colorado Springs, used to put out a Colorado Midland newsletter.

I think he was getting up in years and I don't know if that "club" or he is still active.

He wrote the book, "The Midland Route", and would be the guy to ask about caboose

colors.  His newsletter has discussed colors. His book has plans for six different Midland side door cabooses, and the July, 1966 MR has plans, for one as had the Narrow Guage and Short Line Gazette.  Mel's newsletter for May, 1995 also has plans.

Cool project.  I love it so far.

Neat hack.

What loco will head end this train?

What issue of NGSLG????

mwb:  Those plans, of CM #418,  are reprinted in the May, 1995 issue of the Colorado Midland Quarterly, by Mel McFarland, and he cites the NG&SLG as the source, but does not give the issue date.

I discovered a copy of a photo of Denver and Rio Grande (no "Western") side door

caboose #0817, while checking, so I could really keep Brother Love busy building

side door cabooses.

I just got in an email from Glen, of Mullet River, who says he is too busy to build more

caboose kits, but that he had designed a Colorado Midland caboose and its trucks for a

Robert Stears of Montana.  Google Robert Stears in relation to an OST meeting in

Chicago in which Stears showed a VERY good model, in styrene,  of one of the CM Hanrahan reefers.  Glen says some CM cabooses were identical to ATSF cabooses, as the ATSF controlled CM for a while.  If we could get all the ATSF fans to start clamoring for  CM style cabooses......This makes at least four of us interested in the CM...

Using McFarland's book as a guide, it appears that the "rounded" cupola was specific to the CM cabooses. The "squared" cupola cars were Santa Fe. Books a little vague on the subject, though. It appears that by time the MT took over all the cabooses were square cupola.

Rumor at the hobby store in Colorado Springs is that McFarland's in the final stages of a new CM book. The Ute Pass historical society lists him as a member and it seems I keep missing him.

In McFarland's book, back on what would be Page 318 (if they were numbered) is a

photo of a reshopped Midland caboose #418 with a "plain" cupola, which means they did not keep the reverse curved roof when replacing cupolas.  There were 29 cabooses

in three series, of different lengths,  according to the Dan Abbott book, "The Colorado Midland  Railway, Daylight Through the Divide", 401-416. 34', built by St. Charles Car Co., 417-424, 28', also by St. Charles, and 425-429, 30', built in the Midland shops

in Colorado City.  All had the reverse curve cupola.  Yosemite Valley #15, was a

built for the Midland Terminal (a remnant of the CM) caboose, and has the plain cupola.  With all the interest in the Santa Fe, somebody probably knows or there is in print, a list of Santa Fe cabooses, and data as to whether any came from St. Charles and/or had the reverse curve cupola.  The Missouri Pacific had fleets of side door cabooses, including multi-windowed drovers', with the reverse curved roofs, as shown in "Cabooses of the MoPac", by Michels.

While not under the influence of cold medication, I looked through McFarland's book in more detail. It appears on page 317 is Santa Fe caboose #338, and it does have the reverse curved cupola, but no covered ends. That would suggest that the Santa Fe did use the reverse curved cupola, as opposed to my above post.

Very nicely done !!!!!

Alex

At the Rhyolite station, in Death Valley National Park, there sits/sat? on its frame a

side door caboose with reverse curve roof I remember? as faintly lettered for the Santa Fe.  Have not been there lately, and it could be wishful thinking.  Since the MoPac had

so many, and St. Charles was a big caboose builder for a lot of roads, it would not

surprise me that, in the early years, a lot of railroads had cabooses similar to those

on the Colorado Midland.  The MoPac had cabooses from 30 different sources, including

its own and subsidiary shops, and St. Charles before and after it became a subsidiary of American Car and Foundry.  The other western road with a lot of different cabooses

was the Burlington, and I need to get the book on those.

I found a copy of MR with the caboose plans and ordered it. Thanks Colorado hirailer for posting the info. I have enough stock to build two more cabooses. Would like one to be a better one of the version I'm building now, and perhaps a later Midland Terminal version.

Not much progress on my current project. Making sure of the truck/coupler box locations so it can negotiate my O-36 curves. Not picture-worthy yet. Would like to have the chassis done in the next week and then begin detailing the shell. Running boards, ladders, handrails, etc. I'll post picture's as I progress.

Well, I'm not happy. The MR issue arrived, and I finally got off the fence and purchased Dan Abbott's book, which has more pictures of CM caboose's than McFarland's book. Looks like I'm going to have to start over on the roof and body.

This is my first scratch-building project, and I was trying to do it using standard parts, only one picture of the real thing, and a semi-accurate drawing. Now that I have scale drawings, and multiple pictures, close isn't close enough. The cupola is good enough, as is the chassis, but looks like my current location for the cupola on the roof, and just about everything else is wrong. The "rebuild" begins.

It's becoming somewhat difficult. Currently working overtime, in the process of purchasing a new car, trying to get ready for a trip to Colorado, medicating an older pet, and working on a project car. There are 2 Ye Olde Huff-n-Puff boxcars waiting to be built (Santa Fe, and Colorado Springs & Cripple District), and 3 LaBelle passenger cars (combine, baggage, and closed vestible passenger). Need to keep moving, but there isn't enough time in the day at the moment. I'll post the updates as they happen.

Oops...sorry your original plan was not good....it would be simpler if somebody would

just offer a brass version or a kit for these cabooses.  I have built several cabooses with the reverse curve roofs, but they are all freelanced, and lettered for my fictitious road. I just saw a photo of a steam loco with a cab with a reverse curve roof, so that

is on my to-do list.

brr:  I have only built one scratch rr car with borrowed trucks/couplers and frame.  I came as close to close as I could get.  I refused to compromise on most aspects and that's why I found satisfaction with my end product.  So, I have the same "close is not close enough" thorn poking me now and then but learned to turn it off most of the time.  But I completely understand that if I was going through the time and effort to make a 1st class model that you are, notwithstanding that as is it is a wonderful expression and excellent modeling, that I would not be satisfied that it was not reasonably completely accurate.  In any event, I enjoy watching the progress and learning more about high end modeling.

Honestly, if I could have fit the dry-transfers in the correct position, I would have worked with it some more. There just wasn't any way to make it work. It's no big deal, I have the roof and body material on-hand. The Grandt Line windows scale pretty close. I'll have to make my own side door, which shouldn't be all that hard. Instead of reading the forum, I should be working on it...

When I consider this is what I was working with, almost anything would be better...

My helper. She's been with us 18 years now.

A tuxedo cat!  I like tuxedo cats....a friend has one....really nice cat.   That caboose

posted above looks like an NYC prototype, with the platform around the cupola?

Another week has gone by, and I've changed my mind again. Decided to move forward with the caboose. I cut the side doors out and moved them closer to the correct position. Upon further thought, I also decided I needed more work on my modelling skills. Better to make mistakes on this one than the next, and get some experience. I'm not the model builder I would like to be. Not sure if I have the skills for this type of work or not.

I made a little progress. Moved the side doors, mounted the trucks and coupler mounts, began work on the tool box, added the roof walkway, and started in on the queen posts. It's now in primer and the sand and fill procedure has begun.

She's not impressed...

Looks good to me.  Nobody was born with modeling skills. The under body looks like a

Mullet River kit, lots of detail. Practice makes perfect.

What are you going to use for truss rods?  Running them out to the ends? The truss rods run through the toolbox area?  How were the turnbuckles accessed? 

Thanks Guy's.

I'm using Dan Abbott's book Daylight Through the Divide to reference the Colorado Midland's caboose's. A picture in the book shows the tool box going across the bottom. I referenced a website next that sells HO scale brass CM caboose's and some of those had toolboxes going all the way across. I think maybe they are early versions. colorado hirailer would probably have more information. It appears that the turnbuckles were accessed inside the box. It was interesting enough I wanted to replicate it.

Interesting.  Something learned.  So, what material are going to use for truss rods then?

Sorry, I should have answered that in my previous post. I use .029 fishing line. It's a little bit smaller than what the diameter probably should be, but once it's primed and painted it looks pretty good. I just completed it, along with the bottom of the tool box, but the fishing line isn't very noticable in pictures until it's painted. I'll post some pictures once it's primed.

Another week has gone by, and a little progress has occured.

The chassis is pretty much complete, and some painting has started. Once painted, I'll start adding details such as decking, handrails, and dry transfers.

Here's where I'm at right now:

Digging around under the layout, I found this:

I'll use it as another reference when I build the next one.

This is where I'm at at 5:00 pm CST:

One side left to paint:

For not being quite right, it's beginning to capture the "look" of a CM caboose. I'm ready to start the next one, which will be more accurate, but this one isn't looking too bad at the moment.

After a long month, got a bit more done. Finished the decking on the porches, added handrails, and lettered it. Using Clover House S-scale boxcar dry transfers. I dislike dry transfers. With water slide decals you can change the position, not so with dry transfers. Not Clover House's fault, they make great transfers, but I'm just not that good with them.

Still need to add the ladders, a couple grab irons, fix up the transfers a little, add window glazing, and brake wheels.

Couldn't help myself. Had to see how it would run on the layout. It did great, even through the Atlas O-36 switches.

Looking good!

Great work!