Model Railroading > SP and ATSF Cabooses with Genesis Quality!

OK! we have world class engines that are filled with detail. What about cabooses that dont break the bank. Although beautiful cabooses are available through brass importers, it would be nice to pay less than $100.00 for a caboose with photo etch parts and separate handrails. Division point and Challenger imports are good eye candy, but today's pocket books are not as deep.

Uh, I have a potfull of Centralia Shops ATSF cabooses and they didn't cost me an arm and a leg.
Don't know what they have for SP. I don't know about current availability as I have a full roster of waycars and don't need any more, but I have seen them on the shelf at Doc's Caboose in KC recently.

Bob

Aren't those resin kits Bob?

The ones I have were factory built, painted, decalled, no resin, all I had to do was take them out of the box. They have a variety of numbers, some are painted in older red, some are newer paint, but all of them are quality. TShey are the old coupola style, none of the later offset style, though I do have some brass ones of those. I do weather some, however. My layout is set in 1989, so to justify having them, I have a rule that all road freights have to be "caboosed" because I have a lot of hidden track and it helps to know your train is still together. Works for me. Might add that I "believe" they are produced by the Intermountain folks for Centralia as they are shown on the Intermountain website. I just looked, and they have a large variety on IM site, but no SP. All come with Kadees and metal wheel sets.

Bob

It's been said that Athearn has a long list of projects but it amazes me that they or somebody else hasn't made the quick fix on the Athearn bay window caboose roof overhang. That one should rank up there with easy buttons but just never made it. Any kit bash gets bogged down in how to provide structural support to the splice, or how to butt joint to the car body. But I suppose the popular route would be to overhaul the whole carbody and not just a simple fix. I've seen a few kit bashes that looked great, 5 bucks for the caboose (at the time) and 30 bucks in parts.

Then there's the topic of not having a simple rtr SP plastic caboose from another Mfgr. Nothing but rumors so far. That brass adds up, if you can find it. I have a few from the BN roads but can't find any late era SP cabeeses.

Full interior and exterior lighting a must also. Some interior detail would be necessary.

Rapido's upcoming wide-vision caboose project is on the right track. Other manufacturers should follow their lead.

Cheers! MARK

Athearn would be the best bet, IMHO...Because they have shown both the knack and the willingness to do the road-specific details that a caboose project or projects would entail...Take MP's International Bay Windows, for instance...Walthers is doing another run of them, and I am sure they will use the models they have tooled already...with either the incorrect roof or the incorrect end detailing...(Wrong window placement, wrong handrails, wrong roof pattern, wrong side sills, ect.,)
combined for a total foobie paint scheme...and they'll want $40 for it!!

I'd pay that for a caboose of Railyard Models' quality...from Athearn Genesis in plastic...because they'd make an attempt to get it "right"...we're not talking about the RTR Bay windows that have been around for years...but a totally new model here...

http://www.trainweb.org/screamingeagle/other/cab_behni/mp13690_behni.jpg

As it is, Athearn has enough on their plate...but they can feel free to write these things down on their "to do list"...if they so choose!! LOL.

Thomas Austin
Centralia, IL
Joppa Sub Layout Site



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/09 19:02 by JoppaSub.

JoppaSub Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Athearn would be the best bet, IMHO...Because they
> have shown both the knack and the willingness to
> do the road-specific details that a caboose
> project or projects would entail...Take MP's
> International Bay Windows, for instance...Walthers
> is doing another run of them, and I am sure they
> will use the models they have tooled
> already...with either the incorrect roof or the
> incorrect end detailing...(Wrong window placement,
> wrong handrails, wrong roof pattern, wrong side
> sills, ect.,)
> combined for a total foobie paint scheme...and
> they'll want $40 for it!!
>
> I'd pay that for a caboose of Railyard Models'
> quality...from Athearn Genesis in
> plastic...because they'd make an attempt to get it
> "right"...we're not talking about the RTR Bay
> windows that have been around for years...but a
> totally new model here...
>
> http://www.trainweb.org/screamingeagle/other/cab_b
> ehni/mp13690_behni.jpg
>
> As it is, Athearn has enough on their plate...but
> they can feel free to write these things down on
> their "to do list"...if they so choose!! LOL.


Athearn recently announced a N-scale SP C-50 caboose with all new tooling. Scroll about halfway down the page, then click on the PDF: http://www.athearn.com/Articles/HobbyWire.aspx

One would hope that they have a HO version waiting in the wings.

WP Mike

WP282 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Athearn recently announced a N-scale SP C-50
> caboose with all new tooling. Scroll about halfway
> down the page, then click on the PDF:
> http://www.athearn.com/Articles/HobbyWire.aspx
>
> One would hope that they have a HO version waiting
> in the wings.

I talked to John Engstrom from Athearn about that caboose in San Antonio WGH Show back in February (I posted the report here back then). He said that right now they don't have plans to do it in HO, but I got the impression that they could certainly be convinced with enough requests from HO modelers. They obviously have all the prototype info they need already.

They are also doing three different side variations on the N scale caboose - with windows, with plated windows, and with windows completed blanked out. I'm sure there's plenty of HO modelers who would love to see those. I'd buy at least a couple, even though I have no "need" for SP cabeese. I just always liked those bay windows - I think they're a signature piece of SP rolling stock.

By the way, SP modeler Clyde King did some beautiful kitbashes from the Athearn bay window (from Rob Sarberenyi's Pbase album):

http://www.pbase.com/espeef5/sp_c_40_5

I'm not sure about the roof overhand issue mentioned above, but I'm guessing it involves the ends of the roof, because Clyde extended them using styrene. Doesn't look like too tough a modification, since the butt joints don't have to support any weight, but I guess you could use pins or overlapping sheet underneath the roof to strengthen it. I can't find the link

Dave

Awesome.
I've seen the ones Pat Bray did and they just don't look like they started life in a blue box.
> -----
>
> By the way, SP modeler Clyde King did some
> beautiful kitbashes from the Athearn bay window
> (from Rob Sarberenyi's Pbase album):
>
> http://www.pbase.com/espeef5/sp_c_40_5
>
> I'm not sure about the roof overhand issue
> mentioned above, but I'm guessing it involves the
> ends of the roof, because Clyde extended them
> using styrene.

Who needs an entire new model when you can do that to the blue box?(!!) Wow...those two SP crummies are beautiful!!!

Excellent work, there!!

Thomas Austin
Centralia, IL
Joppa Sub Layout Site