Prebuilt Drover caboose out there?

Hallmark made two different brass, AT&SF prototype, drover cabooses, as well as

a Katy side door.  There are other, several, brass side doors (not multi-windowed as most drovers, however they, such as those of the Denver and Salt Lake, followed no set pattern) that can be, as I have done, put on three rail trucks.  I have a Bob Peare Traincraft kit in a blue Westbrook box for a NYC "riders' car" with a the #506 (lined through) on it.  This is a wood kit.  This car was built by the NYC during WWII for mail and express (per the included instructions) which doesn't sound like a drovers car used for stock trains, although I would bash it with a side door and a reverse curve roofed cupola.  The circa 1940 Vanden Boom catalog of O scale kits shows kits for

MoPac and Union Pacific drovers' cars.  I have never seen or heard of one of these kits,

but would really like to.  Apparently this K.C., Mo., company, shown as a large store building, did not survive WWII.

The Missouri Pacific and the Burlington had fleets of different drovers' cars, and there

are books for both roads' cabooses.  The HO world, of course, has many kits and

brass versions that can be extrapolated.  Mullet River has two side doors but no

drovers' cabooses.

Although not "prebuilt", LaBelle Woodworking offers an O Scale kit of the CB&Q coach-caboose. Check out their website for more details, as it is a spectacular model when finished (also available in HO Scale).

I have that unbuilt CB&Q coach caboose kit.  The lack of available correct trucks for it

has been discussed on here, and is one reason I have never started it, although tempted to put Walther's four wheel passenger trucks under it.   I wonder if there are correct trucks available for the HO version?  Of course, the truck problem, generally, has gone exponential with the demise of Weaver.  (I hope somebody jumps into that gap) Not to get off subject here, I think I will ask again on another thread, if anybody is familiar with VandenBoom, who purported to offer a huge selection.

 

Matt Jackson bought a caboose like the one you are looking for, email him. I think he got it on the bay.

I have two VandenBoom box car kits .

mickey

I'm really looking for a pre-built. When it comes to cars, and needing painting, my skill level drops.

Surprised no one has built one for a set, or offered one. I'm sure there would be interest and Atlas, MTH, or even Lionel could maybe consider a BTO offer to see. I would go for a couple.

Something like this?

 

oh yes

MTH included a "whistle caboose" in their first starter set (the one with the 0-4-0 saddle tanker). That one had a bay window and a baggage door. Can't remember if it had passenger windows. Unfortunately, being in a Rail King starter set, odds are it was undersized.

 

I have two Hallmarks -- the Drover car and the Mixed Train Caboose (a drover car with the bunk area converted to a baggage room). They're 2-rail brass models. I have to get off my caboose and paint the Drover car.

 

 

 

 

I also have drawings for a CNW Drover car which is somewhat similar to the ATSF in size, but had fold-down bunks and looks like it did duty as a mixed train caboose based on the more comfortable design of the interior. They also appear to go farther back in their construction based on the wood-beam trucks used. They were built in the same shops that built their woodside cabooses. Some were steel sided later on.

 

Wow!  Did the C&NW drovers' have tanning beds in them? A second look tells me those are fold down bunks.  Even more than reefers, cabooses offer limitless variety, but unlike reefers, the variety includes construction, which is why there are so few commercial varieties, and why all the drovers' available are brass.  You will have to

contact, or become, Brother Love (build your own) if you want a unique caboose.  Hallmark offered several other unique cabooses in brass, such as the T&P side door

in O, but all the rest are in HO.

MTH included a "whistle caboose" in their first starter set (the one with the 0-4-0 saddle tanker). That one had a bay window and a baggage door. Can't remember if it had passenger windows. Unfortunately, being in a Rail King starter set, odds are it was undersized.

 

I have one of those. They were made in a few different roadnames; mine is B&O. It really isn't suitable for a drover car. It's an interesting period piece, modeled after a boxcar converted to a caboose by adding a bay window at one end. It doesn't have a passenger area. Unfortunately, MTH chose to put roller bearing trucks on it. The coupler shanks are longer than normal and I haven't yet found a set of period-correct trucks and couplers for it. It's a pity that the sorry T-section Bettendorf trucks MTH puts on most of its cabooses won't work, because they would be just right for that caboose. 

And, I know you stated pre-built, but here's the last one that I did build.   Has a full interior as well.....

 

You might be able to get Brother Love (Malcolm) to build one but it will rival brass in cost but will also be as nice as brass - you pay for real quality.  I've stopped building for other folks - I have too much to build for me for a few years and it comes down to time & money - it's your money, but my time has gotten really expensive.

understand. got the desire, but probable not the money.

Brother Love does beautiful work, it's worth the money I've got one of his and its top notch

I have scratchbuilt and kitbashed several drovers' cabooses, BUT, they are freelance as

my road is freelance, and, IMO, it is a lot easier to build one without strict adherence

to the prototype.  For that reason, I have three models I would like accurately built,

two former FEC sidedoors bought by the Great Western, and a Colorado Midland one, as

a party on another thread is building.  As stated, these would be expensive to get built

commercially, so they are on the back burner with a number of other projects ahead of

them.

T W Trainworx made one and had it at York a couple of years ago. it was outstanding. I would contact Roger or Darcy to see if they still make them.

I'm sure the price would be higher then my budget would allow, unless the wife is willing to go on a pork & bean, bread and water diet for a week or two.
I could see spending a 100 to 129.00 for a caboose, beyond that I can see myself having to give up and sell my hobby to afford alimony and lawyer fees.

One reason I asked if there was ever a commercial produced one by the big 3 or 5 when K Line and Weaver was still there. Thanks all though.

If the trucks you want are the ones under that CNW, Lobaugh did them in sand cast, and Dennis Mashburn did a lacy version in lost wax.  I suspect Stevenson Preservation Models has the master and mold.