Erie-EL Cabooses

[Anonymous]

I need to know if anyone has some photos (or the rare drawings) of the Erie-Erie lackawanna class N3A (three window) cabooses. Remember: these cabooses are the old Erie, not DL&W cabooses but were still in service after the EL-DL&W merger. I have some sides and roof parts of three of these cars that I purchased at a train show in Ohio some years back; they can be modified from the older steel steam version to the more modern (circa 1949) version. I have already (scratch) built one of these but it was the older version. The other two I want to build into the newer EL version but I need to know what details to know about before doing so.

Thanks

[Mark300]

On the EL Historical Society site they have a model of a caboose you describe. I believe they call it an 'Erie Dunmore Caboose' (no class name) but is has 3 windows.

http://erielackhs.org/ELHS/ELHSShopModels.html

HTH

Mark

[Anonymous]

Mark,

The Dunmore is the version that I have already built; it is the older, (circa 1937) version of these cars. The newer version has a lower profile carbody (not as tall) and has slightly smaller windows. They also have the 'E' inside the diamond instead of "Erie"; they were in service into the early Conrail years of the mid seventies.

Thanks,

Tom

[gmpullman]

Try this site... lots of photos of the equipment you're looking for...

www.rr-fallenflags.org

Ed

[tstage]

Tom,

Which is the Erie caboose with the bay window? I have the Athearn model of that and it looks pretty decent.

Tom (another)

[MichaelWD]

The ELHS had an article in the Diamond on making a correct bay window caboose. The just of the article was a styrene overlay to correct the placement of the windows. this was 2 or 3 years ago
Mike Dickinson ELHS#837 ELHTS#80

[jamesedwbradley]

Railroad Model Craftsman Dec. 1972 says that Dunmore shop built C-300, Erie's first bay window caboose, in June, 1952. That car had 4 windows per side, plus those in the bays. C-301 through C-350 had two windows per side, plus those in bays. That Dec. 1972 RMC has plans for C-301 etc. plus photos and data. Erie also had some wooden 3-window cars; one of these is shown in EL days (#04931) in April 1969 RMC with HO plans on page 35. An even older, longer 3-window version was used by Erie and Susquehanna, complete with truss rods on the cupola and underframe; photo and plans for those are in the Carstens Rolling Stock Plan Book of 1961, page 55. I do have a clip of a photostat of the Erie steel 3-window cupola version, but no page nor date; I believe it's from an old Railroad Model Craftsman issue; maybe someone has the details. If all else fails email me and I can send you a copy.
James E. Bradley Hawk Mountain Chapter N.R.H.S. [e-mail]

[jamesedwbradley]

Speaking of cabooses, does anyone know where I could find HO plans for a DL&W 800-series caboose - those built at Keyser Valley on steam tender underframes? ELHS had the plans a few years ago - which issue? Is the plan available anywhere on the web? Could I get a copy of the plan by mail?
James E. Bradley Hawk Mountain Chapter N.R.H.S.

[Anonymous]

Dear Tom (another!)

I also have an Athearn model of this car - - you're right, on the surface, the car looks pretty good except the prototype has only two windows; the athearn model has, I think three. The car I am referring to is a three-window, non-bay, conventional (not wide-view) cupola.

Thanks for the help; letme know should you come up with any interesting EL features or images as you are on the east side of the west end of the old EL there.

[Anonymous]

Dear James E. Bradley'

Thanks so much for the info. You are right on with the description of the (300 series number) cars I am refering to except the cars that I have photos of, and not very good ones (from Larry DeYoung's "Erie Lackawanna, West End") are three window cars. The only 2 window cars I know from that era are the bay window cabooses. The number series is correct, however. The 200 series cars are the older ones that I have already scratch-built a model of.

I also have a Model Die Cast/Roundhouse model of the 4 window version, but i did not think that the Erie had a four window car.

Again, thanks and i will let you know if I run into any "snags" in the search leads you gave me.

[jamesedwbradley]

The four window C-300 was indeed a bay window; the bay window jobs had the "FOR SAFETY (lightning strike) FOR SERVICE" across the top, not so the cupola cars. C-300 was pictured in ads of the era. I believe I used an Athearn or AHM car, and cut in the fourth window on one side where needed. ...More recently I used an AHM bay window and blanked out/cut in the 2 windows per side to make a maroon/grey EL bay window car..... I did a model of C-261, a three-window cupola caboose, using a Roundhouse SP cupola car, blanking out all the windows and cutting new ones to match the Erie practice. This car was chosen because the cupola comes out to the car side and goes straight up, like the Erie's. It looks pretty close to me. ... I would still like to do one of the DL&W 800s but can't locate the plans now. I did 'scale up' a slide (!) to get a pretty close approximation of an HO side so will probably use that.
James E. Bradley Hawk Mountain Chapter N.R.H.S.

[Anonymous]

James,

I was lucky enough to get the Erie/EL carbody sides, roof parts and ends at a train show in Ohio; they are correct to scale on length (31 ft.), but slightly wide so some slight alterations were needed. The roof parts were not very good, so I fashioned some out of .030" styrene, along with catwalks, using Plastruc strip styrene (.080") for those.
I used an old Life Like (their version of the N5A) caboose for the underframe (modified slightly for height, truck placement and sidestep height). I detailed it with fashioned grabs, railings, added ladders, marker lights, window glazing, Kaydee trucks and couplers. This was the older (Erie C-200, actually No. C-257) version. I have two more sets of carbody parts which I intend to model after the newer, C-100 series.

I was mistaken about the cars you described vs. what I am referring to. The ones i am referring to are the cupola cars; the C-200 series are the older ones that went back to the steam and transition era. The newer version (probably rebuilt older cars) are C-100 series which I found on the rr-fallenflags.org link, above that Ed gave me (thank you, Ed!). the newest of these cars seem to be with numbers over C-150. The web link does not only have information on this, but all fallen flags! it's a great site and you will probably find plenty of DL&W information, in addition to just cabooses as I did. I have seen and know about the cabooses to which you are referring. i think at least some of these cupola cars have four windows, at least the older ones.

You know, you will probably