I've found a picture of this car, but I can't find any dimensional data. I'm modelling the IC from 1950-1960. The last of these cars were scrapped in 1966. From the picture I've found it looks like a 30' steel underframe wood caboose without a side door 9001 thru 9450. It looks ike they just removed the cupola and installed baggage doors in the third of the car where the cupola was. I can't find any dimensional data anywhere though.
I want to build one kitbashing the American Model Builders CBO&Q 30' side door way car but I want to get it right. Any ideas on where to find the info? I've already been to the IC historical society and every place on the web I can find.
I'm just getting back into the hobby, I've been away since 1979. Funny, when I was modelling before, I wanted current equipment and most of what was readily available was steam era stuff, now I want to model the transition era, and I have to wade through stacks of modern equipment....
The conversion looks pretty straight forward, I'll have to chop up the side pieces to get the big doors and the windows in the right place and fabricate a new roof.
Any other help with IC info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
You've finally found the right place to ask, and the right person. Not only do I model the NKP (see my tag below) but I'm a HUGE IC fan and have a LOT of data on the road during the steam era (diesels? What the heck are those?). My in-progress home layout will focus on the interchanging between these two roads in central Illinois, specifically Gibson City and Bloomington.
I've been meaning to model the 9680-series baggage cabooses for some time now, as I and several other Bloomington modelers need them to accurately represent IC trains in the area. Because of this, I've accumulated as much data on them as I can, which still isn't much. That one photo of 9680 that you found on the Fallen Flags website is ALL there is online!
As to modeling the cabooses, don't bother with converting the AMB/Q connection CB&Q side door waycar. The car body is too long, too height-challenged (short), the side door is too close to the end of the carbody, the windows are all wrong, and the underframe is completely wrong.
The IC 9680-9685 and 9687-9689 were nine "baggage cabooses" that the IC built in 1940 to provide ICC-mandated passenger service to branchlines. The IC formally dropped all passenger service on most of their branchlines in 1938-1939, but had to provide some sort of passenger accomodations for local travellers as mandated by the Federal Government. These "cabbages" were tacked onto the front of local freights, and provided up to six bench seats from old coaches for passengers. The baggage door was installed to provide for the MUCH more profitable LCL traffic online. These cars were NOT really cabooses, since train conductors rarely if ever rode in them. A local train would have a cabbage in front with a LCL freight agend aboard, and the rear of the train would have the caboose (ALWAYS a wood side door; the steel side door cabs didn't make it to branchlines until the end of steam and LCL traffic after 1960)
The cars were built new on old tender frames (remember that for later), and were in general built to the same specifications as the IC's huge fleet of wood side door cabooses. The bodies were 27'10" long and 8'8" high at the top of the roof curve. The side door was 4 feet wide and was placed 4'6" away from the end of the car. Overall car length to the end beams was 33'5".
The CB&Q caboose waycars were just standard 30' Q cars with a side door cut in for branchline LCL service (they didn't have passenger accomodations). Door width and placement varied, but a "typical" CB&Q LCL waycar would have a wood bean underframe, and the body would be 30' long and 8'2" high. Side doors were usually 4' wide and placed 2'8" away from the end of the car. Overall car length was 35'2".
So...the Q cars are about two feet too long, 6" too short ("un-tall"?), have a frane that's completely hidden from view, have too many windows, and the doors too close to the end of the body. These may not sound like very large differences, but pooled together they completely throw off the proportions of the car, and will make any 'bash look nothing like the real thing.
I'd seriously recommend semi-scratchbuilding the car. Scratchbuilding is actually pretty simple, especially for something that's essentially nothing more than a box with wheels. I'd start with an older MDC/Roundhouse wood caboose, using only the roof and underframe (for the steps, mostly). Narrow the sides slightly to get the width correct, and scratch the body out of Evergreen .040" thick car siding sheet. Use plain styrene for the lower edge of the frame (which was about 8" high) and emboss or laminate rivets to it (you only need 47 per side, which is nothing compared to a steel boxcar!). Use Tichy MOW car windows and Grandt Line end doors, baggage doors, and smoke jacks. You'll have to scratchbuild the end railings out of brass wire, but AMB makes a correct bending jig for the curves. Use brass ladder stock for the roof ladders, and scratch the running board out of 2x8 strip styrene. Fill in the hole in the roof (where the cupola went) with .030" sheet styrene bent to general shape, and overlay the entire roof with .010" sheet styrene (to get a completely smooth surface) and add tissue paper to represent the tarred roof.
One of these days, once all of my myriad projects are done, I'll be cranking out a master for a resin kit for these cars. Of course, that project looks to be at least five years down the road!
Email me offlist at rtbsvrr69@yahoo.com, and I'll send you as much prototype data as I have for these cars. The ICHS might have the general erection drawings for these cars; contact them and ask if they have drawing H218.
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943
Hi Ray, thanks for all the good information. I'll get an email out to you. I was unaware that those cars ran on the front of the train, that makes them even more interesting. I may need to build a couple.
I had planned on cutting the AMB sides into sections so that I could get the windows and doors where they needed to be. I think your idea of a scratchbuild might be better. Do you know of an online hobby shop that has the AMB endrail jig? I live 65 miles (but right on the old IC Champaign District North/South mainline) from the nearest full service hobby shop, so online and mail order is the only practical way for me to get kits and parts.
Thanks again,