Well lets see: We could have something like this. All steel, after the McGuinnis takeoff, prior to the Guildford takeover, call it late 70's, early '80s.
Or this, outside braced, wood, Ambroid kit.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
I was unable to find my book on the V&O, but IIRC most of Allen's cabeese were based on the Athearn Santa Fe steel caboose. They were painted a medium blue with white ends. He also used the Athearn steel bay window caboose with the same paint. I don't remember any wood cabooses, because he used many pushing helpers, necessitating the steel version.
The AM cabooses were based on the Nickle Plate caboose, both wood and steel. Later when the Appalacian Lines merger took place the most were Athearn extended vision cabooses red, yellow ends and the stylized "AM" lettering.
You should pick up a copy of "The V&O Story" and "The Allegheny Midland Lessons Learned." Both are a good read with a wealth of info on both roads.
I am eagerly awaiting delivery of two HO scale SD40-2 locomotives by Intermountain Railway, one in Allen McClellan's V&O and one in Tony Koester's Allegheny Midland paint schemes. I would like to customize a couple of cabooses to pair with the locos.
What caboose class/model(s) would make good starting points? I model the late 1960s but, for variety, I'd like the V&O caboose to be of an "earlier" time - perhaps wooden from the 1930s-1950s and the AM caboose to be more "modern" perhaps mid to late 1960s. Any suggestions would be gratefully received. Pictures of caboose paint schemes would be awesome! Thanks.