Hi everyone, I have been surfing the net for images relating to Southern Pacifics cupola cabooses. I had a Athearn blue box model out on my desk during this and noticed some strange similarities and in turn differences...don't get me wrong...I love the model but there are some definate changes...
I now beleive the model is a mix of the C-30-1 and narrowguage cupola caboose that has been fashioned as a steel bodied car.
Look for yourself....this is the Athearn model
these are pics of all the parts they blended together.
Looks like they used the top of this narrow guage caboose...
And the roof and cabin from this C-30-1 caboose...note the top windows are no longer square.
And then they made it a steel bodied car?
Any thoughts. The top is too far back on the roof of the model as well.
Has anyone modified this model ? I'm keen to see any cool mods or scratch built cupola caboose designs from the 1940s to the1980s.
Thanks
Cheers...
Chris from down under...
We're all here because we're not all there...
Or...
Maybe they just patterned it after a very common Santa Fe steel caboose?
http://www.atsfrr.com/resources/MooreJB/Steel%20Caboose%20Clinic%201B%20%202010%20SFRH&MS%20%20%20%20%20%20%207-16-2010.pdf
http://www.atsfrr.com/resources/MooreJB/Caboose%20Models%20for%20Clinic.pdf
Tons of information and photos in the above two links. I'm sure there's more but these happen to be the first few that I came across.
I'm far from being an authority on Santa Fe way cars but I do remember the talk so many years ago, about the car being a AT&SF prototype. Athearn lettered it for scores of different railroads that, of course, never had such a car.
Have Fun! Ed
I think you may have hit the nail on the head with that info mate...I can see definite similarities with the Santa Fe steel caboose...I would say they are identical to the Athearn Bluebox Cupola caboose. Looks like they have all been based on that design with the cupola front and rear facing square windows and the weather strip on the side windows...The cabin windows also have the double hung sliding type windows which are higher than the Southern pacific style fixed glass.
Thanks again...that is some great info. Here is the ATSF version that I now beleive has been used for mass production for the Athearn Steel Cupola caboose.
Glat you found it interesting... I did too!
Old Irv Athearn was from Hawthorne, California, and I imagine he would use what was in the surrounding area for his model research. I seem to recall much of his early output was patterned after western U.S. roads.
Now, I'd like to learn more about the use of those wig-wag targets on the cupolas
Interesting bit of history,
Good day to you, sir.
Ed
gmpullman Glat you found it interesting... I did too! Old Irv Athearn was from Hawthorne, California, and I imagine he would use what was in the surrounding area for his model research. I seem to recall much of his early output was patterned after western U.S. roads. Now, I'd like to learn more about the use of those wig-wag targets on the cupolas Interesting bit of history, Good day to you, sir. Ed
According the Union Pacific Historical Society, the Athearn 50' steel boxcar is based on a UP car from the 1930's. IIRC the Athearn woodside reefer was based on a Pacific Fruit Express car from the 1930's or 40's. Athearn blue box heavyweight passenger cars are (in some cases shortened) versions of ATSF prototype cars. The streamlined cars seem to be patterned after ATSF cars too, although they share features with other cars too so are kinda 'generic'.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
It's always been my understanding that the Athearn blue box offset cupola caboose follows the ATSF caboose. That seems born out when you make comparisons of the model to earlier photo's of the ATSF prototype photo's. I'm pretty sure it's as simple as that.
Now if you are interested in something more accurate or versions that follow latter day ATSF cabooses, then you might be more interested in the Centralia Shops ATSF cabooses through Intermountain Rwy Co.
http://www.intermountain-railway.com/distrib/ccs/ccsho.html
If you are interested in a SP C30-1, from the Espee website:
The C-30-1, C-30-2 and C-30-3 classes were composite steel underframe with wood body. AMB has released a lasercut kit of the C-30-1 composite cupola caboose, and Walthers has released a plastic RTR model of the C-30-1.
http://espee.railfan.net/caboose_steel.html
From that it appears Walthers has a model for you ready to roll.
If you are more interested in hacking a blue box caboose, thats your call of course.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
For whatever reason, a Santa Fe caboose is on display in a park in Avoca, WI. One can see that the windows and blanked windows match up with the Athearn model.
http://s821.photobucket.com/user/arbe1948/media/Avoca%20Caboose_3.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2
http://s821.photobucket.com/user/arbe1948/media/Avoca%20Caboose_2.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3
Hi!
Ive got several of the Athearn 1250s on my ATSF layout, detailed per an article Andy Sperandeo (gee I miss him!) did 20 years ago in MR. The kits ARE modeled from an ATSF type, but of course can be modified to pass for several others.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
mobilman44 Hi! Ive got several of the Athearn 1250s on my ATSF layout, detailed per an article Andy Sperandeo (gee I miss him!) did 20 years ago in MR. The kits ARE modeled from an ATSF type, but of course can be modified to pass for several others.
I agree, I don't think the Athearn offset cupoloa caboose is a mix of several different prototypes, it's simply an ATSF caboose. Because there have been so few plastic HO cabooses available for many years, out of necessity the Athearn model has been modified to pass for others, even D&RGW. Of course Athearn has painted that model for anything under the sun.
The nice thing is, these days there are quite a few models now on the market to give us alternatives to using the ubiquitous Athearn ATSF caboose. Walthers (bay window, wood C-30-1), Centrailia Shops (UP CA3/4, ATSF, SP C-40), Spring Mill Hobbies (C&O), Athearn Genesis (SP Bay Window).
I also have several of these Athearn cabooses. Through some research over the years, I have found several prototype derivations of the ATSF caboose on such eastenn/midwestern railroads as the Wabash and, IIRC, the Monon, the DT&I and some others.
So, if you're into kitbashing/modifying these cars, they would be a good start for such a project. I may just try that some time!
The Athearn car is also accurate (or close) for cabooses operated by Clinchfield, Indiana Harbor Belt, Bessemer & Lake Erie, and probably others.
There was a time when most model railroads featured inaccurate cabooses. However, thanks to Bowser, P2K, Spring Mills, Walthers, et. al., we have lots of accurate R-T-R cabooses available off the shelf. Then there are the kits from Gloor Craft (out of production, I think), AMB, Wright Trak, and others. It's true that there are unfilled gaps, but nowadays there are fewer and fewer reasons to settle for generic substitutes.
'S all good.
Tom
Add on to that, Athearn Genesis and Centralia shops (SP bay windows, UP cabooes, ATSF cabooses. Here is a link to the IMR/Centralia caboose page:
With what Centralia shops makes, I would go with theirs over the old Athearn blue box any day for ATSF types.