What is an era-appropriate scale caboose to run with a scale J1e Hudson?
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Well, the Hudsons rarely pulled freight until the last few years but when they did it would likely either be the 19000 wood caboose (eg. 6-51701) which has been done by just about everyone or the bay windows which have been done by Lionel. The brown one (6-17652) would be correct. The green ones would have come along after the Hudson's demise.
I don't have items numbers handy but maybe others know off hand.
Pete
Any of the woodside cabooses Lionel has made are great matches for the scale Hudsons.
- 6907 Plastic Short Cupola (from 1986)
- 17600 Plastic Short Cupola (from 1987)
- 17611 Plastic High Cupola (from 1991)
- 51701 Die Cast Semi Scale, based on the prewar 700-series version (from 1991)
- 19739 Plastic Short Cupola (from 1997)
Lionel also made a steelside version in red and gray pacemaker colors in 1990, which may not have been run with the Hudsons, but looks handsome when paired with it regardless.
Here a few from my collection. Included are an 18000 class made by Precision Scale and the Lionel bay window.
Pete
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When it's not pulling the RailChief cars, I have used the Lionel 17611. I don't know if it's correct or not.
SJS
While the NYC Hudson's were handsome locos, the same can't be said for their cabs, eh?
Cupola cabooses are all pretty much an ugly lot, regardless of design. Never liked the look of that cupola sitting up high (NYC's low ones look a bit better). The modern "wide vision" style was a really ungainly beast.
This is all esthetics on my part; I know what a cupola is for.
Bay window cabooses are far more pleasing to the eye, or, at least, to my eye.
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Freight Hudsons:
Beginning by WWII, at least, NYC Hudsons would have frequently freight (what didn't then?), I would surmise, and after the War the diesels were on the horizon - but the loco that initially kicked the Hudsons off many runs was the Post-War Niagara, not the E-units.
So, unless you are modeling the 1920's or into the 1930's, putting a Hudson on a freight
(double-headed, even) is not at all a stretch. Anyway, the J1/J2/J3 locos were big, modern, powerful locomotives that probably were used here and there, even early on, when tonnage was waiting and atypical circumstances made one of them available for the run. A sitting loco is not making anybody any money.
