Bending Time On the UP

[CBQ Fan]

While the UP isn’t my main interest I have acquired several UP engines over the past couple of years. A couple of turbines, F units and some alcos. I have one MT wood sheathed caboose. I have been hunting for reasonably priced IM steel cabooses and they just aren’t out there. I just ordered one of the Bluford Shops bay windows. I model the 1950’s/1960’s so these are too modern. But I like them and I don’t want a fleet of identical MT cabooses all over my layout. I can run some Q pool cabooses if I want but I would like to have more variety to pick from. As popular as the UP is, even if it is more modern equipment, I am surprised there isn’t much to choose from.  There are a lot of classic era choices but the more recent runs are so nice.  I have to admit I am a sucker for the Bluford Shops caboose offerings!   

[robert3985]

Finding accurate UP cabooses is not easy.  The Intermountain/Centralia Car Shops CA-3/CA-4 is a fair representation of those first UP steel cabooses...the first run being the better model.  The latest run has the original from-the-factory cupola running board, which UP took off in less than a year for safety reasons...hmmm...seems that between 1942 when they first arrived until sometime in 1943 when they were all removed.  That severely dates ALL of the new CA-3 IM/CCS cabooses to a year or less in 1942 & 1943...with mineral red being the only accurate color.  Soooo....the first run didn't have the cupola running board at all...making it suitable for ALL CA-4's (which never had the cupola running board) and ALL CA-3's after sometime in 1943...a much better option.

Also, the original run had excellent appearing outside swing-hanger friction bearing trucks, which were accurate on CA-3's and CA-4's starting in 1952 when half of each class were equipped with them, replacing some of the wooden-beamed "Q" trucks which were original equipment on both CA-3's and CA-4's.  The model trucks would fall apart after a while unless the sides were melted to the central bolster with a hot needle or vasectomy cauterizer...then they were just fine.

Photo (1) - First run IMR/Centralia Car Shops CA-3 showing (a) no cupola running board and (b) correct Outside Swing-Hanger Trucks for 1952 and later:


Photo (2) - Close up of first run IMR/Centralia Car Shops CA-3 Outside Swing-Hanger Truck:


The new run has some off-brand trucks with a leaf spring sticking out from the middle...looking a lot like MTL "caboose" trucks...which are totally inaccurate...and have a bright, shiny brass spacer between them and the body to get the body to the right height.  This is a real come-down for these models.

Photo (3) - New run IMR/Centralia Car Shops CA-4 showing incorrect cupola running board (CA-4's never had them), incorrect trucks and fugly shiny brass spacers:


Fortunately, the cupola running board as well as the cupola roof come off pretty easily with some gentle encouragement with a little flat bladed screwdriver or fingernail.  You'll find that the top will need to be repainted because the running board has masked the roof directly under it. 

As for replacement trucks, I replaced the latest run's trucks with Panamint Models T58p x8 (eight trucks) at Shapeways here: https://www.shapeways.com/product/8SHC9ZYPG/t58p-x8-n-offset-passenger-truck-caboose-overton?optionId=42424997&li=shops

You'll have to move the brake air tank and the valve to more accurate positions on the underbody, but they pry out of their mounting holes pretty easily with the mounting pins intact.

These wooden beam "Q" trucks were kept on some CA-3's and CA-4's until 1956, when they were all removed from the steel bodied cabooses being replaced by both the outside swing-hanger trucks and inside swing-hanger trucks.

Outside swing-hanger trucks are available from Keystone Details and are incorrectly labeled as "Q" trucks.  They need a brass wire inserted into drilled out holes to represent torsion bars, and the IMR/Centralia Car Shops body will have to be modified to accept an MTL bolster pin.  Although I have a pair of these trucks, I have not mounted them on any of my caboose models yet, but the detail looks pretty good.  For the 50's & 60's, you'll want the "friction bearing" version unless you want to model some Pool Service cabooses, which had outside swing-hanger trucks with roller bearings and an axle mounted generator on one truck.  Keystone Details has these versions also available.  The "Friction Bearing" version is available here: https://www.shapeways.com/product/XEZ4G2FRA/n-scale-up-friction-bearing-q-truck-2pk?optionId=61898526&li=marketplace

The IMR/CCS CA-3/CA-4 models can benefit both functionally and appearance-wise by increasing the depth of the shallow center beam on the underbody using Styrene C-channel from Evergreen.  Right off the bat, I don't remember what the measurements are for that special shape, even though I've modified several cabooses for friends and customers.

Photo (4) IMR/CCS CA-3/CA-4 Cabooses after I removed the lettering, removed the cupola running board, added a deeper center sill, and added Panamint Models T58p trucks, with MTL wheelsets:


Photo (5) IMR/CCS CA-3/CA-4 Cabooses after I re-lettered them using Micro Scale UP Early Caboose CA-3 to CA-8 decals and painted the smokejacks black:


Next choice is the MTL wooden caboose, which is a pretty fair model of the Harriman Era UP CA caboose (actually it's a model of the SP "late" C-30-1) the main things wrong with it for being a UP CA caboose are (a) the end platform steps, there should be 4 steps down from the top of the end-platform instead of the 3 that are on the model (b) The brakewheel should be a vertical brakewheel, instead of the more modern one on the MTL model.  Note that if there was a problem with the old vertical brakewheel, UP would replace the vertical brake wheels with the more modern stand and brakewheel...sometimes leaving a vertical brakewheel on one end and a modern brakewheel and stand on the other.  In the 50's and 60's these cabooses were pretty well only used in branchline service as their steel reinforced wooden underframes weren't strong enough for mainline duty...much of which involved helper service, which placed extra stress on cabooses.  MTL's caboose trucks work okay for these, but some CA's were equipped with the wooden beamed "Q" trucks...which are the same offset bolster pin hole ones used for the above CA-3's and CA-4's, and were more common on CA's late in their lives, using Q trucks that had been removed from the CA-3's and CA-4's for a much nicer ride.

All MTL Armour Yellow wooden cabooses and earlier freight car red "wooden" cabooses are numbered incorrectly, and should have numbers from 2280-2299, & 2400-2524 for UP CA Standard Cabooses, not CA-1's.  CA Cabooses from the OSL, LA&SL, and OWR&N had different numbers.

To improve the appearance of the MTL freight car red UP CA cabooses, the ladder and end railings should be painted to make them fully opaque.  Also the steps and end platforms should be painted to match the car's color.  The truck sideframes should be painted body color too.  The underbody should also be painted the car's color.  The smokejack should be painted flat black.

To improve the appearance of the MTL Armour Yellow UP CA cabooses, the ladder and end railings should be painted black first, then bright red to make them fully opaque.  The steps and end platforms should be painted to match the car's yellow color, with maroon step surfaces and maroon end platform surface.  If the cast-on grabs on the car's body are not painted already, (recent MTL CA's are already painted red) they should be painted bright red.  Also, the roof should be painted mineral red which includes the cupola top.  Trucks and underbody on the Armour Yellow cabooses were black. Adding Panamint Models T58p trucks and painting the roof mineral red and the end platforms & steps Armour Yellow will strongly differentiate these cars from other MTL Armour Yellow cabooses.

Early MTL Yellow UP wooden cabooses were the wrong color of yellow, had black ladders and end railings.  I would avoid them.

If you want interiors, cupola interiors and wooden toolboxes, Fine N Scale makes a resin kit for two cabooses which fit really nicely on MTL wooden cabooses without window glass.  Tool boxes don't care if there's window glass, but interiors do. Order them from Fine N Scale here: https://www.finenscale.com/rollingstock.html

Photo (6) - Fine N Scale MTL Wooden Caboose Interior & Toolbox:


Photo (7) - MTL Armour Yellow Wooden UP CA Caboose with sanded down wooden running boards, Panamint Models T58p trucks, MTL Z-scale couplers...still need to paint the roof, steps and end platform and add additional details:


Photo (8 ) MTL Freight Car Red Wooden UP CA Caboose with sanded down running boards, stainless .006" grabs, cupola grabs, cupola brace wires, removed one window from each side, painted end platforms & steps, underbody and trucks & added a toolbox:


Freight Car Red (also known as Mineral Red) UP cabooses persisted until at least 1952...so they fit your era.

The most common wooden cabooses used during the transition era well into the 60's were UP's CA-1 wooden, steel framed cabooses.  Unfortunately, these have never been offered either in plastic or brass in N-scale.  They share some similarities to the MTL CA's and can be effectively kitbashed from two MTL CA's...although not easily.  I've done one semi-rivet counter version, and I am working on a fully accurate kit-bash.

Photo (9) Kitbashed UP CA-1 with separate .006" wire grabs, smokejack bracing wires from .003" suture silk, cupola bracing wires, plugged center cupola window, GMM Heavyweight etched brass steps, Panamint "Q" Trucks, Z-scale couplers, centered cupola, one window each side eliminated, one new window per end added, marker lamps with MV green & red lenses, Precision Scale brass brake air hoses, black MTL caboose end railings and ladders painted red so they'll be completely opaque, Precision Scale lost wax brass brake furniture on the underbody, Evergreen scribed Styrene sheet for siding where needed:



Photo (10) In-progress kit-bash of UP CA-1 which will include all of the features in the preceding model photo plus etched end platform details, a proper underbody, caboose and cupola interior, plus correctly lengthened roof, correct window placement, and window "glass":


Harder to get are brass models of all the rest of UP's cabooses.  The least expensive ones are any of the first run of Overland steel cabooses, which included the CA-3, CA-4, and CA-5's. The CA-3's have the cupola running board, and the CA-4 oddly has Inside Swing-Hanger Trucks, which were applied to 50 CA-3 and CA-4 cabooses in 1956 but came standard on CA-6's in 1955. CA-3's without cupola running boards can be made from CA-4's by simply numbering them as CA-3's and putting on either the Panamint Models T58p "Q" trucks or the Outside Swing-Hanger trucks from Keystone Details.  CA-5's arrived in 1952 and had different roof panels than the two earlier models as well as "ladder cages' on top and were equipped with Outside Swing Hanger friction bearing trucks.  CA-6's can be made from these models by removing the tool box from the underbody of a CA-5 and trading trucks with a CA-4...which are strangely Inside Swing-Hanger trucks.  CA-7's could be made from a CA-5 simply by adding an extra row of rivets spaced twice as far apart as the other rivet rows beside each window.  These early undec'd Overland UP caboose models are selling for between $90 and $125 on ebay...in the brass when you can find them.

I have a bunch of the early Overland brass cabooses, and most of them are unpainted, but not all. They have two main flaws, (a) Cast-on running boards and (b) cast cupolas, which don't mate perfectly with the carbody on the sides.  Painted up, and any gaps in the cupola-to-body mating point being filled with Bondo, will make them still look quite good.  Adding windows, painting the interiors light green and applying smokejack bracing wires, makes them pretty impressive. 

Photo (11) - Early Overland UP Caboose as it comes in their distinctive green box:


Photo (12) - Early Overland UP CA-3 showing cast-on running boards and cast cupola:


Photo (13) - Early Overland UP CA-3 & CA-4 painted up in the early mineral red scheme with white lettering, the CA-3 still with its cupola running board, the CA-4 without:


Photo (14) - Early Overland UP CA-5 painted up in the early Pool Service scheme circa 1969 with cupola mounted marker lights and the big red "P" on the cupola:


CA-8's, which were delivered in 1964 and the identical CA-9's delivered in 1967 were substantially different than previous classes, being of welded construction, slightly longer wheelbases and with a different toilet window location...and with removable safety slogan boards, as well as a different style of roof panels than the rest.  Bad models of these are the early Hallmark UP Welded Caboose models that came with a sprayed on flat brass finish, fugly oversized cast brass running boards, out-of-proportion ladder cages on top, oversized grabs stuck in huge oversized mounting holes, etched window openings that are too small, with some windows having etched safety bars that should be inside the caboose instead of directly on the windows. The roof also has excessive side hangover and the smokejack is HUGE and out of proportion with cast-on wire bracing.  However, the basic proportions are okay and these look a lot better painted up...but without modification, they represent early pool service cabooses.  With modifications, they can be made into a really accurate and lovely model of either the CA-8 or CA-9 as they were in the 60's.  These Hallmark models are often available on eBay for anywhere between $75 to over $150 by sellers who really don't know what they've got and the poor quality of the stock models.  Be cautious when looking and buying because there is another version that is the "riveted" version that does not accurately represent ANY UP caboose.  You only want the "Welded" version.

Photo (15) - Hallmark UP Welded Caboose bone stock out of the box:


Photo (16) - Hallmark UP Welded Caboose superdetailed and modified to be as delivered in 1964 with marker lights, removable slogan board and many other additional details:


That's about it as far as you can get or kitbash (excluding the excellent painted 2nd and 3rd editions of Overland UP caboose models...which I never see for sale any longer)  Bone stock brass cabooses go for pretty cheap, while custom painted and detailed ones go for much more.  Look for the ones "in the brass" to save some money and do your own painting and you'll get some variety in your UP caboose stable.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[nickelplate759]

Not that it's  a fine scale model, but didn't  Arnold make something close to a CA-1 model?

http://www.spookshow.net/freight/arnoldws.html

[Nato]

           Yes, The old Arnold Rapido/Revell Rapido wood caboose. It was basically a CA car, think of the Old Revell HO model CA caboose in UP yellow, Rapido's  car was a low riding model but it did even feature an open side window like the Revell HO model. It was available in UP yellow, generic red (more of a pinkish color) with Radio Equipped and a number in black on the sides. Cars had no smoke jacks. Nate Goodman (Nato).

[CBQ Fan]

How many wood cabooses were still running around in the 60’s?  I would love to Intermountain’s steel models actually get produced……

[Missaberoad]

If you're not opposed to kits, Model Train Market has a bunch of the Golden West CA-3 kits in stock...

https://modeltrainmarket.com/products/n-scale-golden-west-models-kit-1501-up-union-pacific-undecorated-ca-3-caboose

No connection except that I just ordered a couple 

[PRB]

I heard a rumor that the Golden West kits are the basis for the Centralia Car Shop models.
Any truth to that?

[wazzou]

I heard a rumor that the Golden West kits are the basis for the Centralia Car Shop models.
Any truth to that?

Yes.

[wazzou]

How many wood cabooses were still running around in the 60’s? 

UP, I don't know? 
As advanced as they were in new tech, probably not many.
The NP on the other hand, still had lots of them operating in secondary and branchline service.

[Missaberoad]

1968 (with a single example lasting to 1971) according to the UP Bible. 

Available retirement dates show that the wooden caboose era on UP, came to an end in 1968 when the last six wooden cabooses were retired, after, the arrival of the 100 CA-9 steel cabooses in 1967. The very last UP wooden, caboose, UP 25766, was retired in 1971.

https://utahrails.net/caboose/caboose-wood-retire.php

[robert3985]

Golden West Models CA-3/CA-4 kits were the basis for the Intermountain/Centralia Car Shops UP cabooses..with some improvements...mainly the trucks.

I didn't mention them because they've been out of production for decades, but they make an excellent basis for really nice models of CA-3/CA-4 UP cabooses, with the addition of the Panamint Models "Q" Trucks or the later Outside Swing-Hanger Trucks from Keystone Details.

The injection molded railings and ladders are of fine quality, but the brake stand and center brace are not correct.

Getting the stairwells properly positioned is a learning process and reference photos help tremendously to get them correct with evenly proportioned steps all the way to the platform top.

The kit's smokejack really needs to be discarded if you've got a lathe to make a new one out of brass with a fine vent cover on top.

Also, the toilet vent is way too small, and the model benefits from shaving that off and making a brass one that's properly sized.

Shaving off the cast-on grabs and replacing them with .007" wire really improves the model as does adding cupola grabs up on the cupola roof.

Using etched 50' boxcar running boards is a vast improvement over the kit's injection molded versions.  I attach cut Plano running boards with canopy cement for a very secure fastening (I initially used just Tenax to do this, but found that method to be not robust enough) These get painted the same color as the roof, and any canopy cement residue disappears. 

If you can find any, M & R Sides - Etched Metal Passenger Kits made a fret of CA-3/CA-4 running boards, brakewheels, cupola grab eyebolts, platform safety chains and toolbox covers for the IM/CCS model, which will also work for the GWM kit.  BUT, I don't know if you'll be able to find any.  I bought all that N Scale Supply had when I got mine, and as far as I know M & R Sides is not producing anything any longer.

Special care needs to be taken with the super-fragile roof supports over the end platform.  These will bend or break just by looking too hard at them until they're fastened to the roof.

Rivet counters can add rivets to the end roof supports with rivet decals before painting.  I haven't done this yet, but my next Golden West Model CA-3/CA-4 will definitely have added rivets there.

Just like the Intermountain/Centralia Car Shops models, the center beam needs to be deepened.  Also, the brake furniture details are really hardly worth putting on....I used left-over equipment from my scrapped Hallmark "Riveted" UP cabooses, but I'll be using Precision Scale brake equipment sets in brass as a replacement in the future.

I also square up the window openings with a precision jeweler's square file that really IS square.

Photo (1) - In-Progress Golden West Models Caboose Project #1:


Photo (2) - In-Progress Golden West Models Caboose Project #2:


Photo (3) - In-Progress Golden West Models Caboose Project #3:


Photo (4) - In-Progress Golden West Models Caboose Project #4:


Photo (5) - In-Progress Golden West Models Caboose Project #5:


Photo (6) - Unfinished Golden West Models Caboose Project running on the Park City Branch:


Although these old kits are an excellent base for making a really nice model of UP CA-3/CA-4 cabooses, they need a bit of work...but nothing super complicated.

However, I've been offered as much as $60 each for my kits...so, they're increasing in value and if you can find some, and want to make some nice UP cabooses...buy some, NOW.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[CBQ Fan]

Great info all around. Unfortunately with UP being a supporting road on my layout my CBQ kits would take precedence.

[robert3985]

Not that it's  a fine scale model, but didn't  Arnold make something close to a CA-1 model?

http://www.spookshow.net/freight/arnoldws.html

Nope.  I have several of these...from Arnold, from Revell and from Con-Cor.  The Arnold & Revell ones appear to be identical in construction while the Con-Cor model is a bit better, with no cast-on "marker lamps". 

Paint is equally bad on all of them. Platform  details are very poor.  Ladders are incomplete (at best).  Running boards are hugely disproportionate.  Trucks are whatever they had on hand.

Years ago, I did some research on these models to prove or disprove the rumor that they were attempts at modeling a UP CA-1 caboose.  They're definitely a UP caboose, but also definitely NOT a CA-1.  After browsing through several dozen photos of early UP cabooses, the window arrangment and size, the cupola position, the smokejack placement, even the ladders with no curving ends coming down on the roof and the simple end railing with the vertical brake wheel...this all made it pretty clear these are attempts at modeling a late 19th century UP N.C.S. caboose....N.C.S. standing for Non Common Standard...basically pre-Harriman. 

Photo (1) UP N.C.S. Caboose, build date sometime in the 1890's with offset cupola:


At one point, my buddy Nate showed me a Con-Cor N.C.S. caboose that he was working on, adding window glazing and painting the ladders, end rails and tops of the platform and stairs.  I suggested that we add the new (at the time) Panamint Models "Q" trucks to the model (I had several dozen of the 3D printed trucks) and it was easy to just take off the old trucks, which I believe were Bachmann Old-Timer trucks, and plug in the new ones with FVM narrow tired wheelsets.  Looked a LOT better!  Here's the result...

Photo (2) Con-Cor Wood Caboose UNION PACIFIC with Panamint Models "Q" trucks, window glazing, red ladders, corner grabs and platform railings, MTL N-scale couplers:


These N.C.S. UP cabooses were modified later with wider cupolas and more modern brake equipment to look more like the model. 

However, the main problem with the model is the exceptionally wide sheathing boards, which are at least twice as wide as would be proportionally correct.

Interestingly, records indicate some of these cabooses lasted until sometime in 1956, even when being built starting in 1880.

Soooo....if you've got one of these old Arnold, Revell, Con-Cor caboose models, just putting the Panamint Models "Q" trucks on them with MTL N-scale or Z-scale couplers will make them pretty fair stand-ins for UP N.C.S. cabooses.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Nato]

  I beg differ, The Arnold Rapido / Revell caboose is a low rider not a great underframe would not look good with those trucks , do not bother. The Con Cor as Bobs photo shows is much better except for the board spacing, it was first offered by Trix as an old timer  car. There was a large lantern on the top of the copula like in the B&W photo as you can see Bob removed this as by the yellow painted era they were no longer used.  Nate Goodman (Nato).

[CBQ Fan]

Bluford Shops UP bay window arrived today and looks great.