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 Posted - May 21 2014 : 5:57:39 PM
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Well, another find at that April swap meet was this "GN- Style" caboose, which has more of a northeastern flavor to it than anything ever used or built by Great Northern. Nonetheless, for $3.00, it was in excellent condition and I picked it up. There was absolutely no maker's marks on it anywhere, outside or inside. I did find a cousin made in a larger scale (G) by USA Trains:
It is a duplicate of the HO version I picked up.
I repainted the roof flat black and dullcoted it, same as the underframe, and added a gray primer to the inside, along with clear glazing. I replaced the plastic wheels with IM 33" and gave it some knock-off "kadee style" couplers- for as long as they last. The thing was heavy- with two weights in it, so it more than met NMRA suggested car weight. The trucks were "pop-in" type train set ones, but you work with what you get.
This was a quick weekend project on the way to more serious ones, but I didn't want it sitting around staring at me for three months until I got around to it, so I shoved it to the front of the line for a quick fix up.
Here is the finished job:
Back soon with more...
Siouxlakeron
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Posted - May 21 2014 : 5:59:01 PM
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now do one in Sky Blue! 
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Posted - May 21 2014 : 9:23:35 PM
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Blue Sky is my dad's favorite livery and I like it too. You should totally do that!
-Steve
"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Posted - May 21 2014 : 9:40:53 PM
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Looks great Ron. I understand your comment about the 'eastern flavor' of it, but I have an Atlas Burlington Northern caboose of the same type.
I have found the push-in 'train set' trucks to be satisfactory in most cases. I cut off the coupler pockets, change out the wheelsets and body mount a pair of Kadees. Perfect world I prefer screw-in trucks but they are pricey.
I've never tried the IM wheelsets - do you prefer them over Kadee or P2K?
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - May 22 2014 : 12:09:46 AM
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Nice paint job, Ron. You're right, your cabeese has wandered very far from home.
It's actually a Reading style that Gilbert first produced in prewar diecast, and everyone else imitated. The steps on this one are accurate to early Reading and nicely molded.
There's a history of them here:
http://www.railroad.net/articles/railfanning/northeastcabooses/index.php
http://www.railroad.net/articles/railfanning/northeastcabooses/parttwo.php
Note the circle surrounding the leaf spring on the truck sideframe. I believe that was a bearing that allowed the sideframes to pivot independent of the bolster.
http://www.readingrailroad.org/multimedia/images/rcths_caboose.jpg
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - May 22 2014 : 03:08:26 AM
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| Looks like a beauty, gotta love the bargain price!
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Posted - May 22 2014 : 11:55:41 AM
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quote:Blue Sky is my dad's favorite livery and I like it too. You should totally do that!
Originally posted by kovacste000Â -Â May 21 2014Â :Â 9:23:35 PM
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I like it too Too bad it only lasted from 1967 - 1970 Cause of the Burlington Northern MEGA Merger!
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Posted - May 23 2014 : 1:38:54 PM
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Jerry:
I started with the I-M 33 inch wheels, because Yankee Dabbler sets up a booth at the local club's quarterly swap meets. The guys live within 15 miles of me, although they have an established internet presence and advertise in MRHobbyist. Mrs. Dabbler took pity on me as a poor public school teacher and sold me single packs of wheels out of the 100-wheelset box, because I couldn't afford to spend the whole price for the whole box. Ever since, I regularly buy 4-5 packs at each show every few months to keep my wheel supply healthy for my "restoration" of cars I buy and re-purpose or refresh, as you have seen here in my posted projects.
I do have some Kadee and other mfg wheels on some cars bought RTR/used but the rolling quality is virtually the same and so I stick with the I-M's (also, because they are semi-insulated and allow me the choice of easily lighting a particular project with a resistor and LED's, if I so choose.
By the way- not an advertisement- but, the Yankee Dabbler folks are very nice and informative people, as well as out to sell their merchandise. They talk to you, respond to e-mails, etc.- they do things the "old-fashioned" retail way! I am a happy repeat customer with them.
Ron
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Posted - May 23 2014 : 3:03:42 PM
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Thanks Ron - and that's interesting about Yankee Dabbler, because in the past month I have bought probably 4 packs of Kadee wheels from them. I stumbled across them on ebay and they had some good prices on wheels - cheaper for me than driving to the LHS that's 40 minutes away.
http://tycodepot.com/
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