FORUM POLL - All Welcome, Please Add Your $0.02

Don,

The Denver & Rio Grande would look good for a work train. With a little research I'm sure that there were others that used the same unit. I know many On3 folks would like them.

Here's my vote:

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad.  Would look cool, I am not sure if they had one.

AT&SF and I think they did have one.

We have scene photos of the ones RIO GRANDE SOUTHERN had. Have you all scene that one?

Dave, LBR 

I'm 99% sure N&W never had one, so I'm abstaining from the vote.

That's my $0.02.

Gilly

Dave, It would have been more of an even playing field if the contest was decided by pulling the winning name out of a hat.  There's 5 or so RRs that dominate O purchases (PRR, NYC, ATSF, UP, SP) and I'm betting one of those RRs will win, unless D&RGW sneaks in.

Bob,

     Which ones, of those, had a drovers caboose?

Dave, LBR

The Colorado Midland had caboose's somewhat similiar to the pictures that have been posted.

Myself, I'd purchase one undecorated, which would be my vote.

No matter the roadname, I would probably buy one just because I like it so much!

If you go back to the late 1800's around 1890 the Philadelphia & Reading Railways and Mining Company would be one of the most prosperous companies back then.

Also from the 1920's up to 1976 Reading Lines was operating freight traffic for the Reading RR.  FYI; Reading Company was the passenger division for the Reading RR, many people get the two names for Reading RR mixed up.

Lee Fritz

Pardon my ignorance, but just what is a drover?  Maybe Jack, "hot water " can chime in.

Fred

The "Drover" type of coach/caboose was named for live stock drovers who would drive their herds to the rail-head for loading onto stock cars. The coach/cabooses had seating areas for passengers, a "baggage" area with a large side door/doors to possibly accommodate the drovers horses (only a few), then the quarters for the train crew with a coupla on top of that end of the car. As far as I know, the CB&Q probably had the largest "fleet" of these coach/caboose cars, which were still on the roster into the BN merger era.

The best, most scale, model of the CB&Q coach/caboose available is still offered by LaBelle Woodworking, out of Cheyenne, WY. The kits are available on both HO and O scales, but finding the correct trucks in O Scale is a real challenge.

Coudersport and Port Allegheny. Only if they had this style of caboose. This railroad was in operation from 1882 thru 1964.

South Omaha Stockyard Railyway

Dave,

I really don't know, probably none.

Hot Water says the CB&Q had lots of these, that would be a good RR if I was going to stray off SAL.

D&RGW

Thanks Jack.

Fred

I would like to see the CB&Q.

1. C&NW please, just make sure that you stretch out the car longer than the standard caboose that we see.  Why not do an undecorated one in red and let us decide how to letter it.

NOW you have my attention.  Side doors, combines, and drovers cabooses are all

I have, many kitbashed and scratchbuilt, but I also have O scale brass ones, on three rail trucks, too, including the two different Santa Fe ones done by Bobbye Hall.  I have in front of me several books on these cabooses.  I have heard that the CB&Q had a lot(there is a book I don't have)...if they had more than the Missouri Pacific (which caboose book I have) it is a LOT!  The MoPac had dozens of varieties, two pictured above.  The very common Beebe and Clegg book, "Mixed Train Daily" has a Clegg photo of the longest I have seen pictured, that is not a coach caboose, such as that kit out of Cheyenne mentioned above,  on the Waco, Beaumont, Trinity, and Sabine in Texas, and on my to-do list.  It is similar to and may be a twin of the Cotton Belt one above. The Colorado Midland side door cabooses were identical to some used on the Santa Fe, but both have that reverse curved cupola roof.  I would jump on an accurate model of that, even if in Santa Fe (and repaint).  Not all drovers cabooses had side doors...one of the Bobbye Hall brass Santa Fe ones does not and neither did those of the Denver, Salt Lake, and Pacific, which were only a little bit longer than their standard cabooses (with differerent window configuration).   The D&RG did have an early side door, standard

gauge, that I have a published photo of somewhere, which was not a drover's or combine caboose.  But...why quibble, I'll take one of each.

Somebody, I think that company in Colorado that did some brass, made a side door

C&NW caboose that I saw a couple of times in the Chicago O scale show...but

the darn thing was pricey.

Sorry I keep doing footnotes, but Bobbye Hall also did a Texas and Pacific side door

that is fairly common, as is a similar Santa Fe one, done by somebody else.  There

was a prototype Santa Fe one sitting next to the Rhyolite station in that ghost town

on the edge of Death Valley.  Dunno if it is still there.

D&RG or D&RGW, either one will work for me.

This is an interesting project, and obviously there are votes for a number of different roads. While you may do one in a particular road, why not also do one undecorated, as wb47 suggested above?

If I were in the custom decal business I sure would!

CBQ and GN. I also think an undecorated car would be goo idea. Also how about correct CBQ Way car trucks. My two cents worth. 

the Milwaukee had side-door cabooses but apparently did not classify them as drovers' cars. This photo was taken in 1964.

Well, this has been quite a trip so far. We have more than 50 suggestions of more than 40 railroad names and 20 or more photos. There is, however, one underlying thread that should be of interest to all . What if we build a DROVERS CABOOSE and leave it undecorated with the RR name & herald and let the

WINNER OF THE AUCTION

select the railroad & car number they want. As one forum person stated "IF I PRODUCED CUSTON DECALS I'D LET THE WINNER DECIDE".

What is the consensus of opinion with this solution for a railroad name for the up coming LBR Enterprises,llc custom built "DROVER'S CABOOSE" ? 

Dave, LBR