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I am one of those guys who is comfortable in 3 rail, but wants to "operate somewhat prototypical" with no duplicate road numbers.  And thus I need some caboose information from "those who know".  Perhaps this should have been posted in "Real Trains", but I suspect I will still get some advice.

I am modeling the end of the zebra stripe era of the Santa Fe ("around 61-63").  I am modeling an industrial switch job, so I doubt the "new paint" would show up there very early.  So now you have the "set up" for the questions:

I own MTH 20-91194 ATSF offset steel caboose 1785R and would like a second caboose.

 

What I WANT is MTH 30-71183 ATSF offset steel caboose 1783R.  

After watching OGR for sale and "da Bay" for several months, I am coming to the conclusion that might be a losing battle.

I don't like "odd ball" paint schemes, but may have to allow one of the other MTH offerings:

MTH 30-77279 ATSF offset steel caboose 2164 with the slogan: "On Santa Fe Safety Is Everybody's Business"....OR

MTH 20-91031 ATSF offset steel caboose 1579 with the slogan "Watch Out For Axy Dent".

I realize both safety slogan cars are prototypical, but...

Were either or both of the safety slogan cabooses still in daily service as late as 1961-63?  If so, how common were they in the first place.

The town I lived in had a refinery and quite a bit of Santa Fe traffic in the 1950s (I simply do not recall seeing either, although if they ran from Kansas to Oklahoma City, I should have seen them.)  My home town of Ponca City, OK was just 30 miles south of the crew change point in Arkansas City KS.

TRIVIA for those who like such things...the Arkansas River is NOT pronounced like the State of Arkansas in the State of Kansas, nor is the name of the town Arkansas City, Kansas on the Arkansas River adjacent to the Oklahoma state line in south central Kansas.

The river and city are pronounced R-Kansas not ARK-an-saw.  The local "nickname" for the city is "Ark City".  Now you can talk like a local if you ever go rail-fanning that area.

 

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Tony, I have a MTH 1783R caboose. It is my favorite caboose. If the MTH 1785R caboose has the same colors and decoration, except for the number, I would be willing to trade my 1783R for a 1785R, if that helps.

 

My Father-in-Law wanted to see the Arc-in-Saw river when he came to visit. It took me a couple seconds to figure out he wanted to see the R-Kansas river. The river is more of a creek, or crick, most of the time, though.

I really need to get out of Kansas and learn to speak English again...

Tony Wright posted:

Unfortunately the steel caboose you show is the same road number as the MTH caboose I already own.  I have not seen any prototype photos of wooden cabooses in red with the large white logo.  Thanks.

The steel side reporting marks are for a CE-2 which was rebuilt in 69 and renumbered 999332. The wood never existed. Its k line taking what I believe is a Southern Cab and remarking it( in my case its being turned into Burlington/C&S waycar).  All the ATSF woods I could find all had at least 4 windows in similar arrangement as the steel sides. To be honest I have two MTH ATSF steel sided way cars but the K line is built a lot better.

BRR:  Thanks for the offer of a trade, but...I need two caboose with different road numbers.  So, I really appreciate your offer to help, but must decline.  

As for the R-Kansas River, "out west" there are miles and miles of dry sand in the river bottom at different times of the year...and occasionally, major floods.  But as I recall, in Wichita, you need a water pump just to dig a post hole for your mailbox due to the shallow underground water level.  I was at Kaw Lake a couple of weeks ago and they were not letting any water out of the dam.  But Keystone Lake, outside Tulsa, was almost flood level.  Ya gotta love the R-Kansas River.  Without it, half of Oklahoma and nearly 2/3 of Ark N Saw would be very thirsty.

SUZUKOVICH:  Thanks for the information.  Of course, while I am picky about "some" things, I am less picky about others, such as: if the box car was built by the same company that built the prototype, same with caboose/cabeese(?).  I am not even close to a Proto48 or even 2 rail scale or 3 rail scale.  I just want different numbers so box car 101 goes to door 3 on the flour mill to be loaded with sacks of feed and I hope the reefer does not show up at the feed store.

That said, if I understood you, there was never a wood car that looked like the K-Line model on the Santa Fe.  The K-Line steel caboose does more or less match a prototype CE-2 Santa Fe caboose.  While the MTH may not be as prototypical as the K-Line, it has been offered in two road numbers...

=======

The real question is how accurate are the Axy Dent and Safety Is Everybody's Business paint scheme and would they still be in service from 1960-64?

And I suppose the unspoken question is if anyone has a MTH 30-77183 steel caboose decorated for ATSF 1783R for sale?

Thanks....I am learning a lot.

 

The Axy Dent and Safety Is Everybody's Business waycars were not intended for through freight use.  Those logos appeared on a small number of waycars that stayed close to the yard and were used mainly on transfer jobs to other railroads' yards, and on industry switch jobs that served industries inside Switching Limits (and thus used crews off the yard seniority roster).  Outside Switching Limits, industry jobs that went on duty at outlying locations where there was no assigned yard crew, were called road switchers and used road crews.

The safety slogan waycars would be a good fit on your railroad as you described it.

Last edited by Number 90

Tom:  So, were the two "safety slogan" waycars still in local yard service in 1960-63ish?  I am "freelancing" the Santa Fe operation in the Oklahoma City Stockyards District (a roughtly 5 mile long industrial switching district inside the OKC yard limits).

I have no photos of the era on the line I wish to model.  I never saw the area until around 1975-76.  So, I guess I can make up my own rules and my own reality.

Tony Wright posted:

 

The real question is how accurate are the Axy Dent and Safety Is Everybody's Business paint scheme and would they still be in service from 1960-64?

 

Thanks....I am learning a lot.

 

Yes would be accurate. 60-64.  Also I am attaching a PDF file that should help you a lot.

 

Pic is from 1964 Chicago

ATSF 1579

 

Attachments

RATZ!!!

The .pdf that SUZUKOVICH shared has a color photo of the prototype Santa Fe 1579 which is the exact road number picked by MTH for their 20-91031 model is painted wrong.  It has the ATSF logo under the cupola on the model that is NOT on the prototype.  The photo is dated 1964 which is later than I want to portray on my layout.  The first small Santa Fe "circle and cross" on any of the photos he shared was dated 1974.  Just a touch later than I want to depict...

RATZ!!! 

See...a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

 

But I do appreciate the .pdf because I might have spent money on a caboose that did not represent what I wanted.  So, for that, THANKS to SUZUKOVICH.

Here is another link that will help you.   http://atsf.railfan.net/waycars/

Now as for MTH 1579. You can remove the Santa Fe logo under the cupola with Mr Clean magic eraser.

For your era Below you cant go wrong.

Any zebra stripped GP9/7, RSD7/15, SD24

1-DSCF4229

1-DSCF4230

1-DSCF4231

 

 MTH 999600 former ex-2268, built by ATSF 1949, rebuilt 1976 and painted to current color scheme would not work for your era.

1-DSCF4232

ATSF600

 

Attachments

Images (5)
  • 1-DSCF4229
  • 1-DSCF4230
  • 1-DSCF4231
  • 1-DSCF4232
  • ATSF600

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