Tail End Tuesday

Tail End Tuesday, Still in the development stage, but close. An O gauge Interurban made from a Lionel 710 coach. Has two powered trucks.

Steve

Tail End Tuesday.
Pickering Lumber Corp. caboose at the end of a train load of lumber.

Larry - leave it to you to combine great model pictures with the real thing.  Thanks for posting I really loved what I will call the "theater" car with all the folks in stadium seating looking out the glass window at the rear.  That was one I have not seen before. Did you make that or was it purchased and from whom?

Don

Ron

OK T.E.T fans I will admit it is NOT Tuesday "yet"... I have to take the wife to a medical appointment in Ft.Worth tomorrow morning and since its 108 miles to the Dr's we have to leave quite early.  So I won't get to post in the morning.  We normally get home around dinner but that sometimes makes it too late, so I will try posting early.  For this Tuesday, I have an oldie...one I picked up at the Plano Train Show on Saturday last and as best I can tell its from circa 1947.  Its the Lionel # 2457 Pennsylvania N5 caboose and this was a "hold over" from the pre-war days but with the new couplers .  This was offered from 45-48 in a wide variety of number of couplers (1 or 2) and various combinations of corner steps.  My configuration (no steps & 1 coil coupler ) appears to be from around 1947.  It has the number "2457" stamped in silver on the bottom of the frame. I had another example of this in my collection but , presumably from handling, the lettering had been nearly wiped off.  This example has clear lettering but does differ from my other 2457 in that it only has one coupler.

Here you can see the white lettering and rivet detail as well as the add on tool boxes and brake cylinder.  Note all these cabooses are lettered "Blt 4-41..." which I think is just a hold over from the stamps made for pre-war release.

Here you can see the coil coupler on the one end as well as the brake wheel and ladders.

Well since it was born (1947) when I was 3 its now 75 years old and seems in good shape (much better than me!!).  So I guess it will have to go back to work on my little RR just to see her go.

Best wishes

Don

Nice find, Don. It looks to be in pretty good shape for 75! (I’ll be 75 next month).  Hope all goes well with your trip tomorrow.

Correction was made on my previous post, where the theater car is pictured, I’ve included a picture of Farmerjohns E8 Union Pacific passenger train as I had taken when visiting him several months ago. I can tell you, Farmerjohns layout is super nice, and I didn’t mean to make the mistake. This is a great thread. Happy Railroading Everyone

Don your caboose says it was built 4/41 not 47 that makes him 81.

@Don McErlean your post caused me to pull my 2457 off the shelf and look at and place it on the layout. My body is the same as yours, red body, black window frames, windows on the cupola ends.  White lettering that is centered on the body and includes Eastern Div. The differences are that mine has steps at each corner, 2457 stamping on the underside and automatic couplers at each end. I picked this up at the Fall 1985 York. It was part of a set which included a 224 2-6-2 Steamer with a 2466W tender, 6555 Tank car, x2758 Automobile car, 2452 Gondola and the 2457 Caboose. All the cars have flying shoe trucks.

While I was researching this Tail End I discovered more information on my 224. It  has Baldwin wheels, the long blacken drawbar and handrails with a squared off deck which dates this to 1945. This engine was one of the first Post war engines. Thanks Don for your post and a quiet  afternoon to allow a little research.

Tail End Tuesday Hudson Style

Steve

Thanks everyone for comments on my 2457 caboose.

Rich, I agree, my other 2457 has automatic couplers on both ends which serves to date it to perhaps a different year within the 45-48 window.  Greenberg's guide on Lionel from '45-69 lists some 10 different configurations of this car, with differences primarily in the steps (all corners or none), the number of couplers (1 or 2) and a whole portfolio of coupler types as well as 2 different kinds of wheels / axles.  So this car reflects the "fitting out" phase of Lionel as they emerged from the war years and were trying to find their way in terms of the best configuration of trucks / couplers.  Your car has I believe what they call "flying shoe" couplers and mine has "coil" couplers.  The one common feature seems to be the # 2457 stamped in silver on the frame.  Great find by the way on the "square deck" 224 and I agree that is the 1945 version.  My first set came to me in 1946 or 47 (or did it come to Dad and Grandpa ) but it had a turbine and a work caboose.

Coach Joe: You are correct the "stamp" says ..." blt 4 41" however that in my opinion is a result of re-use of the dies, and stamps from the pre-war years.  The # 2757 caboose, was nearly identical to the #2457 in so far as the car itself is concerned, was made in tinplate,  and was offered in 1941-1942.  There were two big differences.  One the #2757 was only available in brown (tuscan) and the postwar 2457 was only in red except for a very few examples from 1945 that came in brown (which are very rare and very expensive, personally I have never seen one) .  The other big difference of course is that the pre-war #2757 came with pre-war trucks (black journals) and either manual or automatic box couplers (autobox cars were labeled as #2757X on the box but not on the car) in the pre-war style.  I suspect that in its desire to get out its line of trains in the early postwar period, Lionel just took the 2757, added post war trucks and couplers and painted it red, never changing the stamp (except to make the lettering white not black) and catalogued it as the #2457 and so marked the frame.

SW1 rear at day break.

@Artie-DL&W : Happy Birthday (early)...and thanks for your comment on my N5 PRR caboose.

Today, after I had trouble finding this thread as it disappeared from the first displayed listing, I have a couple of Marx cabooses.  These cars, in terms of the car, are quite common and inexpensive as Marx "medium wt" 8 wheel cars with "pickle fork" couplers and plastic railings.  However the white stamped livery RR names put them into, at least, the "unusual" category.  These 8 wheel cars were made from the middle 1950's to the middle 1970' s and dating them is really tough.  Pickle fork couplers pre date the plastic knuckle so its likely these cars were made in the 1960's but I can't verify that positively.  The road names for these cars, Monon and KCS, also match the RR's Marx selected for the little FM tin diesels which also centered around the 1960's so maybe that is further evidence of when they were made.  One last thing, if you look at the pictures  it is easy to see that from the items that are most costly, car body, frame, trucks etc these cars are identical.  Its just the white rubber stamping that distinguishes them...another Marx cost saving trick...same car, different names.  Another cost saving trick, note there are railings only on one end, these are NOT broken off, they never were there.

Here is the Marx # 969 KCS caboose

The Marx # C-350 Monon caboose

Well couldn't miss T.E.T so there you are, hope you are having a great week.  Best Wishes

Don

Here's my rears for this fine Tuesday!  

The rear of trailer not to mention the guy with the hand truck.

The cabin car on the rear of a GG1 caboose hop.  

My Tail End, a father and daughter taking in the sites on a Pennsylvania Observation car.

Either one of these could be a tail end! A Lionel AEC Security Car, or an RMT AEC caboose!

Here's my entry for Tail End Tuesday, 3 little Caboosy's lined up tail to tail: Western Pacific 428 K-Line made for Western Depot Hobby Store, Yuba City, CA, UP 25307 is from a Lionel freight set led by a semi scale SD90, Santa Fe 2505 is a LOTS Caboose made by Lionel of course, highly detailed (I was told that only 300 were made).

Well, as always, Don McErlean has posted some really neat tinplate cabooses, and now the plastic Monon, Kansas City Southern ones, Cool Cabooses, Sitka, cool observation car with figures, so real looking and great scenery, Trumptrain, Pat, I love that Pennsylvania caboose and scene, Wow. Steve “Papa” Eastman, gi like your tinplate Hudson, tinplate colored trains are so beautiful, I like that Lionel Bridge to. Happy Railroading Everyone…

Larry :  Thanks for your comment.  That City of Denver observation car with the tail sign is really neat !  Loved that NYC new caboose of yours you pictured the other day.  Great scenes from you layout.  NEAT!  Thanks for posting.

Don

HAPPPY  TET

Back into the GREAT  PLASTIC  BIN  in the STORAGE  ROOM 

SEE  YOU  IN  DECEMBER .

Dallas :  Don't you wonder what all those little people do in that plastic storage bin all summer? 

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

Dallas :  Don't you wonder what all those little people do in that plastic storage bin all summer? 

Don

Make more little people?

@Don McErlean posted:

Dallas :  Don't you wonder what all those little people do in that plastic storage bin all summer? 

Don

You are right Don.........I should probably put a FLASK and some cheese in the GREAT PLAASTIC BIN.

@Sitka posted:

Make more little people?

I don't know about that Sitka......but I think Judy has ordered another cheap hundred people and she has said that the Santa Factory entrance sure didn't seem like the first hundred elves I made were near enough .

Dallas...flask and cheese sounds like a good idea

Don

@Dallas Joseph posted:

You are right Don.........I should probably put a FLASK and some cheese in the GREAT PLAASTIC BIN.

I don't know about that Sitka......but I think Judy has ordered another cheap hundred people and she has said that the Santa Factory entrance sure didn't seem like the first hundred elves I made were near enough .

Hey Dallas by chance what hundred people are you looking at ordering? what brand? Been looking for railroad workers or just workers

Thanks Mark

@Sitka posted:

Hey Dallas by chance what hundred people are you looking at ordering? what brand? Been looking for railroad workers or just workers

Thanks Mark

The hundred figures were just about the $ 15 to $ 20  range and pretty much just standing figures that she bought from Amazon or Ebay.   

I made elves out of them by amputating part of their legs ( elves are vertically challenged )  and making little hats on them with glue and then painting them in the red and green colors.

You would probably be looking for workers like Woodland Scenics railroad workers that usually come with 6 figures for around $ 20 .......not cheap but not as wildly priced as some other brands.

@Dallas Joseph posted:

The hundred figures were just about the $ 15 to $ 20  range and pretty much just standing figures that she bought from Amazon or Ebay.   

I made elves out of them by amputating part of their legs ( elves are vertically challenged )  and making little hats on them with glue and then painting them in the red and green colors.

You would probably be looking for workers like Woodland Scenics railroad workers that usually come with 6 figures for around $ 20 .......not cheap but not as wildly priced as some other brands.

Thanks for the info, must be the ones I was looking at, we bought woodland years ago, yup not cheap

Mark

@Sitka posted:

Thanks for the info, must be the ones I was looking at, we bought woodland years ago, yup not cheap

Mark

These were the type of figures that I was working with for the elves.

I had already srarted to dab GooGlue on their heads for little hats.

This is what 'THE 100 ' had to become.

@Dallas Joseph posted:

These were the type of figures that I was working with for the elves.

I had already srarted to dab GooGlue on their heads for little hats.

This is what 'THE 100 ' had to become.

Very nice! That will keep you out of trouble

God Speed

More Santa Fe

photographer unknown

Happy Tail End Tuesday all, NYC Tie-Jector car taking a load of logs to the mill, with a working party moving some gold from a stream.

A couple NYC cabooses (Cabeese?)

Bob

My New Long Island caboose to go with Bob’s New York Centrals -

I’m going to place a few MTA “M” decals on it if I get a break today.  

An older photo as two of three observations are no longer in my collection.

By request of the Norma Bates Kitteh fan club, a tail end and a tucked in tail. 

Mitch

I’m in a New York State of mind…..

(I have to figure out how to replace those markers with scale ones!).

Scene from our mountain home layout about a decade ago