Looking to Print a Caboose...

[Maletrain]

After looking at many pictures of B&O helpers pushing on cabooses, I have come to the conclusion that I misremembered and made an over-statement when I posted "... I-5D models, there are plenty of period photos with really big locos pushing on those cabooses on the rear of heavy trains."

Actually, the vast majority of the photos taken in the transition era are of wagontop cabooses, some of which were probably I-5BA, but it is really not something that I can distinguish from an I-12 wagontop in those photos.  There is a picture of two 2-10-2s shoving on a cupola version of an I-5, probably taken some time around 1940.  But, I also found a picture of an ex-BR&P 2-6-6-2 shoving on the back of a B&O I-10 caboose, which was also acquired from the BR&P.  That particular caboose had a narrow platform with passenger car type steps, and a bolster span of only 16 feet - hardly more than the I-1s.  It weighed around 39,400 lbs, which is about the same as the B&O I-1s at 37,000 lbs and I-5As at 40,000 lbs, but was far below the I-5Ds at 62,700 lbs, with the steel and concrete filling their frames for rigidity and weight.  The I-12 wagontops that performed most of the mainline freight duties in the 1950s weighed only around 40,000 lbs during the transition era, until rebuilding in the 1960s to 54,000 lbs.

So, I am not really sure when the B&O stopped shoving on cupola type cabooses with big power.  But, by the 1950s, it looks like they were using the I-12 wagontops for that service.  But, I-1s and I-5s remained in other service well into the 1960s and beyond.  Even the last I-10 wasn't retired until 1981.  The last I-1 was retired in 1977, and the last I-5 in 1983.

To complete the picture, I-1s were first built in 1913 and the first I-5s in 1924.  B&O's first wagontop cabooses were built in 1936, and looked similar to the later 1-12s, that were first built in 1941.  The earlier I-5 wagontop versions had various "spotting features" such as round porthole windows on the ends of the I-5B and BA classes.

So, it looks like there is plenty of opportunity to use what Skipgear and Gimplizard are working to produce.

[SkipGear]

Wide Porch Version raw first assembly. Excuse the dust, just cut the parts off the rafts and didn't wash them after.



This is pretty close to a done deal. I am going to raise the parts up off the raft just a little higher to make them easier to remove, (broke a lower step on the this one), beyond that the parts all fit as expected.



Roof walks now fit the ridges of the roof and pretty much self align.



The handrails are definitely delicate but they have come out better than I could have expected.

[Philip H]

And you want our orders how, exactly?

[SkipGear]

It's done for now. Eventually I will take the time to make dimples for the rest of the wire grabs but I will leave that up to the modeler for now.

The basis for this journey.

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/boC453.jpg

The result.











Had to trim the mounting pads off of the ladder for the picture because I don't have everything snugged up tight yet. With everything glued up tight, they should not need to be modified. Smoke jack comes with the kit. There is a spot in the handrail for .008 wire and a brake wheel if you want to add it. Didn't want to push my luck trying to print that. It may be a good idea to copy the handrails at the top of the ladder in PB wire and replace them for durability, especially if it is to be used at shows.

You will need Atlas caboose trucks and MTL 2004-1 couplers to finish.
I have both the wide porch and narrow porch versions complete.

PM me if you are interested in a kit. Still haven't settled on a price yet.

[John]

Tony -- I see there is also a plywood sides version .. and a number of variations .. you have the start of an entire fleet here .

http://www.springmillsdepot.com/i-5details.htm

[SkipGear]

Tony -- I see there is also a plywood sides version .. and a number of variations .. you have the start of an entire fleet here .

http://www.springmillsdepot.com/i-5details.htm

The next caboose will be an I-5, basically the same caboose, longer wheelbase, steel ends and an angled cupola although the next project for me will be finishing my Cincinnatian consist.

There are all kinds of later rebuilds and one off variations in both the I-1 and I-5: plywood sides, blanked windows, step changes.
Also would like to redo a N&W CF that I have already built from sheet styrene using my vinyl cutter.

[SkipGear]

First one completed. I-1A C-1403

This one was built with no additional detailing, just what I printed for the model. The decals are not exactly the correct size, they were put together out of scraps, the dome logo is supposed to be 25", these are 23", nothing major, just a tad bit off. I already have all the caboose logo's and data on another decal sheet that I sold when the JNJ caboose kits were a thing before the Fox Valley wagon tops arrived. I just need to create a small sheet specific to these. These cars survived into the Chessie era but I will only be dealing with the original schemes up to the end of the transition era. The scheme on this car is the latest scheme my sheet will do, which was around 1955 or so. Microscale has a B&O caboose sheet that covers into the C&O and Chessie era. Your best reference is to find an image and use that to go by. Even though there were "standards", there was nothing standard about a railroad paint shop and rebuilds, they used what they had handy.







Still working on instructions and I am redrawing the end rails so that the mounting plates do not need to be trimmed. If anything disapoints me at all about the model, it is the steps seem to sag a bit, the floor doesn't quite want to stay perfectly flat.

[ncbqguy]

Tony
Super work!
You have inspired me to finally teach myself 3D CAD.   First step is to develop all the measurements of the cars I want to start with (CB&Q NE way cars).
I have enough prototype drawings to build the real cars but, as you know, there are dimensions you need that are not explicitly shown on the drawings.  When I get to the point I have some files I will think about getting a machine....no point in having a tool without the means to use it!
Thanks,
Charlie Vlk

[pjm20]

Your progress has been amazing to follow, and your latest print is looking pretty good. Random question, do you have a source for the disposition of the B&O I1s?

[SkipGear]

Your progress has been amazing to follow, and your latest print is looking pretty good. Random question, do you have a source for the disposition of the B&O I1s?

Most of my info comes from -
https://books.google.com/books/about/Cabooses_of_the_Baltimore_and_Ohio_Railr.html?id=3qrTPQAACAAJ

There is also a series of books from Dwight Jones that gets more into individual caboose info. The Hubler book is more about classes and drawings.

[Maletrain]

Looks good, Tony!

Re the steps looking like they sag a bit:  the prototypes had so many minor bumps and bangs on those steps that you might be able to just call that a "feature" of your model.  But, since you are saying that is from the floor warping, is there some way to put internal supports in the interior space to correct it, or is it just warping at the ends?

[SkipGear]

The warping is really just the corners. The wide porch version shows it worse than the narrow. I added bracing in the form of the coupler pocket, hoping that would solve it but it didn't take care of it completely.

[John]

The warping is really just the corners. The wide porch version shows it worse than the narrow. I added bracing in the form of the coupler pocket, hoping that would solve it but it didn't take care of it completely.

You may need to just add some extra material that can be sanded off by the builder .. that should add some more "ooompf"

[delamaize]

This makes me want to try to Model one of NP's and SP&S Bay window wood side cabooses.....

Of course, then comes finding someone to print....

[wm3798]

Really nice work!