Rio Grandefy a USA wood side caboose

[Southwest Chief]

I finished up the detailing work on one of two USA cabeese I'm upgrading and repainting to look more like D&RGW long narrow gauge cabeese.

Here are some photos of the first car to be detailed:

[Mr_Ash]

Looking good! What scale is it?

[Southwest Chief]

Looking good! What scale is it?

1:22.5...I think

I'm not sure of the true scale...does anyone know what the USA wood side caboose and their other similar offerings scale to?  It's essentially the LGB size...which myself and a few other modelers are holding onto.  I think you're mostly 1:22.5 too, right?  That is until you get that big ole Bachmann K-27 you were looking into getting

I got into the hobby too early, and way before the 1:20.3 boom.  We have too much 1:22.5 equipment to start over.  Although I'm not that big a fan of 1:20.3 anyway, so LGB sized trains suit me just fine

As a side note;

The Delton/Aristo long wood side caboose is a very good replica of a D&RGW caboose.  But I had 2 USA versions, and decided it was easier to customize them then buy 2 more cabeese.  Although the Detlon/Aristo is 1:24, so it's not as wide as the apparently 1:22.5 USA caboose.

[Mr_Ash]

Yes everything I have is LGB and Bachmann I dont plan on getting anything other than the K27 in 1:20

Just hard to find anything that looks right as far as cabeese go.. All Bachmann and LGB are smaller 2 axel bobbers. I was thinking about getting a long Aristo one but I already have one of there bobber/track cleaning cars and compared to the Bmann & LGB rollingstock it looks way to small.

Ill have to try and keep an eye out for one of these USA cabeese, I really like the longer ones more than the smaller bobber types from Bmann & LGB and as much as I like my Drovers caboose I dont want to run it on every train lol

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Mr_Ash

Might wanna rethink that 1:20.3 olny statment, The different sizes tend to make it look better espically if the line your are modeling isw using turn of the centuary next to 30's cars in the same train. There are a cupple of articles (2 i think) that relate scale to time pirods and how carsw grew over time. At one time cars were limited to dubble track with thats 72" in across!

[kstrong]

Looks good. Can't wait to see it painted and lettered. I think that should thin those end platforms a bit for you.

BTW, the article on using 1:22 and 1:24 equipment for a 1:20 railroad ran in the June '07 issue.

Later,

K

[Mr_Ash]

I found the USA D&RGW wood side long cabeese on www.lgbpola.com and on ebay both places $85 each... IDK what one to get lol there is 0588 with the moffat tunnel toilet bowl herald and the one you have pictured above 0505... I want them both but Im thinking I will get 0588 first as besides my Drovers caboose both my other cabeese (4 axel bobbers) 0529 (LGB) and 0507 (MDC) have the flying Rio Grande on them...

I really need to lay off the Cabeese though... If I get these two I will have 3 more cabeese than I do engines

[Southwest Chief]

Finally finished all the plastic work about a week ago and brought out the airbrush for some marathon painting.  Three cabeese eat up a lot of paint. 

I used Scalecoat II Boxcar red for all and they look great drying up.  Should be interesting to see when the paint fully dries.

The cabeese were USA 0505 and 0588, and an MDC 0579.  Lot of money in these and as you point out $85 each is about right for the USA versions   But I think it was worth it to repaint them.  Never did like the caboose red.

As I progress I'll post some more photos.  Still have to mask the roof and cupola sides so I can finish up with black paint.  And then the handrails and such need aluminum.  And I have some paint for the interiors.  And after that, lettering.  Lots of work still to do, but it's been fun so far.

UPDATE

Here are some photos showing their new brown paint:

 

[Mr_Ash]

Looking good! Do you plan on numbering them the same as they were or changing the numbers?

Looking at your picture I think I mounted the marker lights on my MDC 0507 a bit to low... like about 1/2" lower than yours

 Oh yeah I ordered the USA 0505 caboose wednesday morning, wish the platforms looked as good as yours!

[Southwest Chief]

Looking good! Do you plan on numbering them the same as they were or changing the numbers?

Looking at your picture I think I mounted the marker lights on my MDC 0507 a bit to low... like about 1/2" lower than yours

Oh yeah I ordered the USA 0505 caboose wednesday morning, wish the platforms looked as good as yours!

Thanks.

I'm going to renumber old 0588 to 0540.  But the other 2 likely will keep the same numbers (0505 and 0579).  On that MDC marker, I just put it at the same height as the USA markers.  And for the USA ones I removed the stock marker and put the new one on the same place.  The positioning isn't super accurate, as they really should be at the end corners.  I also have to change the marker jewels to amber on the sides.  Found out that's what D&RGW did.

[vsmith]

Looks great!

BTW if I remember right those USA "old timer" cars are ex-Delton molds, so it likely closer to 1/24 scale. My MDC caboose is also 1/24 but looks just fine behind 1/22.5 stock

[Mr_Ash]

Ahh MDC Markers! Im using lighted Aristo & LGB markers debating what im going to replace the new USA cabooses with...

As for the scale USA's webpage says that they are 1:24, pretty sure same for the MDC cabeese

[Southwest Chief]

The markers are all from Ozark Minatures.  Here's a link: Marker Lights

They are really nice.  You have to finish drilling them out if you want to add lighting.  And you have to drill into the caboose side for the brackets.  I used PollyScale (414110) Steam Power Black for paint.  Nice color and a really good one to have in the paint box.  So many uses for that basic black.

One thing I should add is that Ozark makes similar markers in both 1:24 and 1:20.3.  I used the 1:20.3 as they look better scale wise with these cabeese.  I guess the D&RGW used standard gauge markers on their narrow gauge stock, so they should look large.

[Mr_Ash]

wow I have some of those same markers only in 1:24 that im using on a couple of my loco's. I didnt know they also came in 1:20

[Mr_Ash]

USPS dropped off my USA Rio Grande 0505 wednesday around noon

This caboose is huge! Theres no way there 1/24 as listed on the USA site its the same size as a LGB passenger car! The end platforms are even copy of the LGB passenger car platforms. I love it though its such a beautiful car, cant wait to see your finished Rio Grandefied version I'm jealous of your end platforms

Also was 0588 a darker color than 0505? I cant tell from the pictures on USA's site because they used diffrent color backgrounds.

 Oh yeah is the Aristocraft "Delton" Classic Long Caboose the same as these or is it smaller? from the pictures they look alot alike just looks like the end platforms & roof details are diffrent 

I also read that these will be coming with the new C16's

http://www.wholesaletrains.com/Detail.asp?ID=200401764

[Southwest Chief]

Yep, the USA caboose can't be 1/24 as many say it is.  Neither are the boxcars, reefers, and other cars in the "American" and "Work Train" series even though the website says 1/24.  They're all 1/22.5 and match perfectly in every way with LGB equipment.

0588 should be the same caboose red.  However my 0588 faded over the years, 0505 hasn't.

The Aristo Classic line really is 1/24, so that caboose is smaller.  I've seen comparison photos of a USA caboose coupled with the Aristo classic.  The USA is noticeably wider.  I also like how the USA caboose looks lower.  Aristo's seems to have too much open space underneath.

You have an MDC caboose right?  If so, couple it with your new USA caboose and notice the width difference.  That's what the Aristo caboose looks like (the MDC is also 1/24).

I'm getting closer to the end on the caboose rehabilitation project.  Finished up the grab iron painting, and have almost finished up the interior paint.  The brown is fully dry now so I can mask off for the black roofs too.  I don't know if I mentioned this before or not, but the original thick windows are all being replaced with thinner material.  Painting has been a lot easier with the windows out.

[Southwest Chief]

Lettering comes next

[Mr_Ash]

looking good! What are you planning to use for the lettering? Also was it hard to paint the railings with them installed?

[Southwest Chief]

I have three sets (so no spares ) of 1:24 scale caboose dry transfers from CDS.  I'm pretty sure they are sold out of these as it was difficult to get three sets.  They might have run a few more...I'll have to check on this incase something goes wrong

The letterboard lettering is too long and large for the MDC short caboose, so I'll need some custom made decals (I can't print white).  I'm thinking of repainting our Hartland gondolas into the "flying" Rio Grande scheme, so I'll probably get these too from the same custom decal maker.

Painting handrails/grabs is such a nightmare.  But it had to be done, and I've reluctantly done it before.  I like to paint as much of the grabs as I can with a medium sized brush.  Then I come back with a very very fine brush to finish painting right up to the edge.  The roof grabs on the long cabeese were extremely tricky to do.  I think it took a little under 45 min per car.  Yep it's tricky to do

[Mr_Ash]

I figured it would be tough to paint the railings thats why I put it off when I was painting the window frames on my bachmann 2 axel those alone took me a few hours to get them all done

IDK if it helps any but Microscale has some 1:24 decals for D&RGW C-16 and they have "Denver & Rio Grande Western" that is the perfect size for a short caboose but they arnt dry transfer

[Southwest Chief]

I finally got around to trying out the dry transfer lettering from CDS.  It was somewhat tricky getting everything spaced right and lined up according to a prototype image.  And unlike a decal, once these are down they can't be repositioned.  But no decal film is a real plus on large G scale rolling stock

One side down, 5 more caboose sides to go

[Great Western]

I think that the caboose is very sharp Matt.  This one and the others will enhance any consist you run.  Nice work.

[Mr_Ash]

I finally got around to trying out the dry transfer lettering from CDS.  It was somewhat tricky getting everything spaced right and lined up according to a prototype image.  And unlike a decal, once these are down they can't be repositioned.  But no decal film is a real plus on large G scale rolling stock

One side down, 5 more caboose sides to go

Very nice! Hope the rest of the cabeese turn out just as good, keep up the good work!

[Southwest Chief]

Finished up the dry transfers:

I'll have to get some custom decals for the little caboose letterboard as the dry transfers were too big for the "short" style D&RGW caboose.

[Mr_Ash]

Nice! Too bad about the lettering for the short caboose even now it still looks good without the lettering, not saying that finishing it off wouldnt make it look better just saying nice work :)

[Southwest Chief]

Here are two photos of 0540 on the line:

 

They're all done now with a dull coat sealer, marker lights, and window glazing.

[Anonymous]

Did notice no marker lights? Or is that last.......

Toad

I see now! missed them. Shame on me! Looking very nice.

[Southwest Chief]

It sure has been a while.  I wanted to update this thread since I finally got around to having decals made for the short caboose letterboard.  Here is what it looks like after a test run in the snow: