Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Caboose fun?!?!?

Short lines had an almost infinite variety of cabooses.. when the FEC became one of the first roads to give up cabooses, they sold ones like the plans in your photo off to short lines like Colorado's Great Western.  That red one, NC&SL, looks like an interesting combine cabooses. The GW got at least two of the FEC ones.

Looking forward to seeing one of those ex-FEC drover-like caboose in NC&StL colors.

Great Job!

Tireless caboose builder...!!!

jpv in France

Beware that the plans in Model Railroader may not be correct for that FEC cupola caboose! I was told by a second generation FEC engineer and HO modeler that somehow the MR plans show the sides of the FEC caboose to be lower than the prototype (I believe the figure mentioned was 9 inches too low). The Overland brass HO model was made to these plans and was also said to be incorrect. There is one example in poor shape at the Gold Coast RR Museum, but I'm not sure it can be measured because it is wrapped in tarps.

Bill in FtL

Thanks Bill. I have not built the cupola yet so I can check it out. I looked at the drawing again and it seems to be proportioned the same as the photos. I will scan a photo tomorrow and scale it to be sure.

Malcolm

Brother_Love posted:

Thanks Bill. I have not built the cupola yet so I can check it out. I looked at the drawing again and it seems to be proportioned the same as the photos. I will scan a photo tomorrow and scale it to be sure.

Malcolm

Hi Malcolm,

Actually, I heard the problem was with the sides of the body, not the cupola. The result is that the car looks longer and lower than it should. I mentioned "cupola caboose" because the FEC also had bay window types that were made from steel 40' boxcars. I have been meaning to take a trip down to the Gold Coast to see if there's any way I can measure it, but that has been on the back burner for a while now, due to time constraints plus the fact that it's over a hundred miles round trip from my house. I see from the photos that you already have the sides roughed out, so it's probably too late, but let me know if you want me to go down there and try to get an actual measurement of the side. In any case, even if the sides are too short, they're way better than any other FEC cabooses available. If you have any extras available, please let me know, I'd love to get an appropriate caboose to put behind my Williams FEC BL2!

Bill in FtL

The NC&StL Preservation Society has a photo of the NC&StL #41 caboose at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.

If you go to their (NC&StL P S) website, and go to "equipment" - "rolling stock", it shows #41 as a bay window, which it is NOT. Go ahead and click on it.

Progress

I really like seeing your cabeese grow. A true artist who richly recaptures railroad history, in which the caboose is one of the most fascinating.

Thank you again Malcolm.

x-FEC cabs almost ready for paint. 

NC&StL cabooses out of paint shop.

You certainly do beautiful work Malcolm.

Decals applied. Thanks to all.

Malcolm,

Do you the same mailing address as you have had the last few years?

Malcolm

How do I get in touch with you ?

Jon M

TM Terry posted:

Malcolm,

Do you the same mailing address as you have had the last few years?

yes, thanks

Jon Marcus posted:

Malcolm

How do I get in touch with you ?

Jon M

email in my profile, thanks

Malcolm,

I have one question for you:

Your post of last 27/9/2916, first photo: how do you place the grab iron head (little black dot)? Do you drill a second hole above the grab iron and insert the head with its rod or do you glue only the head without the rod? That's what I wonder because I have many of them to lay down and I never do it!

Thanks in advance

jpv in France

So....what has turned out to be correct vs. those MR plans l also have?  I have the decals for the GW versions but have never got a round tuit on building one, much less two.