Proto:48 SP&S Scratch Built Caboose Completed

Nice job!  I like the roof walk. Real wood?  Show it again when you get the lighting in, so we can admire the interior

Very nice, light weathering and opaque tinged windows give it that well used look.

Looks real!  My box car went to the appropriate artist.  Too bad you are not doing SP.

@Ron_S posted:

Very nice, light weathering and opaque tinged windows give it that well used look.

Thanks Ron!!

@John Sethian posted:

Nice job!  I like the roof walk. Real wood?  Show it again when you get the lighting in, so we can admire the interior

Thanks John.....the roof walk is .030 styrene that has been distressed with an Xacto saw blade to simulate the wood grain.....  primed with Tamiya light grey primer and then shot it with Tamiya Deck Tan paint and then dry brushed with dark flat brown, medium grey and some flat black.....

@bob2 posted:

Looks real!  My box car went to the appropriate artist.  Too bad you are not doing SP.

Thanks Bob.... with regard to SP.....  that is on my list.....  I have a Red Caboose GP9 that has been converted to Proto:48 truck set from Jay at Right O' Way....  Looking at a Black Widow scheme for that one....   also considering an SP wood caboose as well......

Good looking caboose.

Dick

Bill,

Outstanding job!  The end railings are immaculate and the chain on the brake cylinder is a winner too.

Malcolm

@CBQer posted:

Good looking caboose.

Dick

Thanks Dick.....   and thanks for your service......from a fellow Viet Nam Vet....

Regards

Bill

@Brother_Love posted:

Bill,

Outstanding job!  The end railings are immaculate and the chain on the brake cylinder is a winner too.

Malcolm

Thanks Malcolm!!

Good job, Bill! I’d be nice to see the process as well. Tichy, GL, PSC and Archer all make  fine products! 

@SANTIAGOP23 posted:

Good job, Bill! I’d be nice to see the process as well. Tichy, GL, PSC and Archer all make  fine products! 

Thanks!!!!

Bill, excellent work. Thanks for sharing.

Tom

Outstanding work in every respect.  

Absolutely beautiful 

Excellent work!

Bill:

Very well done sir! 

Regards,

Jerry

Wonderful! What decoder are you using for the lighting?

@Sarah posted:

Wonderful! What decoder are you using for the lighting?

Hi Sarah:

I had experimented with the Digikeijs DR80015 Function Decoder.  It is super small and has front / back / extra function capability.  It was a struggle from the start.  There was little in the way of instructions and apparently, you must have a load on the track when you program the decoder.  The few times I was able to set the CV's for my situation the LED / resistor pairs would not light.  I found some articles where some people actually used a locomotive as the load.  This of course alters the CV's in the locomotive used.  I also tried a had wired can motor as a load and that generated errors.  I think the need for a load (motor) on the programming track is a design flaw for this type of decoder.  But that is just me.  

I could rig a up one of the ultra small bridge rectifiers and some resistor / LED pairs and use track power but I am leery of the amount of heat that the rectifier may generate.  

Still looking for some other possible solutions.....

Regards

Bill

👍👍

@AZBill posted:

Hi Sarah:

I had experimented with the Digikeijs DR80015 Function Decoder.  It is super small and has front / back / extra function capability.  It was a struggle from the start.  There was little in the way of instructions and apparently, you must have a load on the track when you program the decoder.  The few times I was able to set the CV's for my situation the LED / resistor pairs would not light.  I found some articles where some people actually used a locomotive as the load.  This of course alters the CV's in the locomotive used.  I also tried a had wired can motor as a load and that generated errors.  I think the need for a load (motor) on the programming track is a design flaw for this type of decoder.  But that is just me.  

I could rig a up one of the ultra small bridge rectifiers and some resistor / LED pairs and use track power but I am leery of the amount of heat that the rectifier may generate.  

Still looking for some other possible solutions.....

Regards

Bill

Dear Bill

thanks for the reply! I really don't think that programming a decoder should be that much of an effort – it eats away all the fun. The good thing about the Digikeijs chip is the price. This is just a suggestion and I don't speak of first hand experience but maybe you would like to check out the Sound Car decoder of Soundtraxx

https://soundtraxx.com/products/tsunami-soundcar

Manual

Function mapping on page 14

It's more expensive but for a caboose of that quality worth the investment. It would also add sound and lights and your last car creates a bit of a rumble when gliding along. I plan to use these in each train, also in the mid of the train because I love the brake noise coming not only from the locomotive. F11 applies brakes and they get louder the slower the train. You can activate the car by wiping a magnet on a stick over the roof (where you mounted the decoder) and it will start to release the hand brakes. So cool!

You see, I'm totally in love with that concept. My own first sound car, a stock car, is in paint shop now.

Regards

Sarah

@Sarah posted:

Dear Bill

thanks for the reply! I really don't think that programming a decoder should be that much of an effort – it eats away all the fun. The good thing about the Digikeijs chip is the price. This is just a suggestion and I don't speak of first hand experience but maybe you would like to check out the Sound Car decoder of Soundtraxx

https://soundtraxx.com/products/tsunami-soundcar

Manual

Function mapping on page 14

It's more expensive but for a caboose of that quality worth the investment. It would also add sound and lights and your last car creates a bit of a rumble when gliding along. I plan to use these in each train, also in the mid of the train because I love the brake noise coming not only from the locomotive. F11 applies brakes and they get louder the slower the train. You can activate the car by wiping a magnet on a stick over the roof (where you mounted the decoder) and it will start to release the hand brakes. So cool!

You see, I'm totally in love with that concept. My own first sound car, a stock car, is in paint shop now.

Regards

Sarah

Thanks Sarah....I will look into it .....   I tried the Digikeji decoder because of the size.  The space inside the caboose is limited at this point.  I can easily tuck a decoder into one of the closets and I developed a very simple LED light bar out of Evergreen channel.   Any way....I will look at the Soundtraxx unit.

Regards

Bill

Wow, that's amazing work.

Amazing detail.  Superb craftsmanship.

Amazing work!  Curious, are you a NMRA Member?

@p51 posted:

Wow, that's amazing work.

Thank you!!!!

@John C. posted:

Amazing work!  Curious, are you a NMRA Member?

 

Thanks John.....   no ...not an NMRA member.........

You should be!  That caboose would rate 125 out of 125 points on my judging sheet for building cars!  LOL  (I'm talking about the Achievement Program; more commonly known as the Master Model Railroader program.)  I love SP&S stuff and it is scarce in any scale.