Scratch building a MILW terminal caboose

[OT Dean]

mbinsewi

Time to get this project going.  I've talked about it for a while, and it's finally on the work bench, after completing my overhead crane build, which, if your interested is here: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/275511.aspx To get this project going, a picture of the prototype, just a couple of blocks from my house. It now belongs to the East Troy Electric Railroad, AKA the East Troy Railroad Museum.  https://www.easttroyrr.org/ This car started out life as a coal tender on the MILW.

Hey, Mike, you're building a model of the transfer caboose from the story my late brother told me when I was a kid!  A conductor, using his ever ready chalk, labeled an EMD SW1200 cab and cabless combo, "Cow, Calf," then labeled the transfer caboose, "Sheep!"  My brother was a switchman in the Muskego Yard of the MILW and worked transfer and switching jobs locally with one of the combos plus caboose.  He said they were fairly comfortable in cold weather, but sort of like riding in a dark box.  Good start!  Stay with it and have fun!

Deano

[mbinsewi]

Thanks for the compliment, Harrison.  Yours looks great! and everytime you build something, it'll get better, but there will always be little things that you might not like, and wish you did different.

I'm just starting this, and there's a couple of things I'm not totally satisfied with.

I like your steps!  Which caboose model/manufacturer did you get the frame/steps from?

Thanks Dave!

Mike.

[SPSOT fan]

hon30critter

 

 

Harrison

Yours is looking soooo much better than mine

 

 

Harrison,

Don't beat yourself up. Everybody who scratchbuilds had to start somewhere. You should be proud of making a start into a very rewarding part of the hobby!

In hindsight, everything I have ever scratchbuilt or kitbashed could have been done better!

Dave

 

Yes, Harrison you’re one step ahead of me, you’ve tried to scratch build something!

If you want to rebuild it, go ahead, all you’ll be doing is improving your skills!

[hon30critter]

Looks good Mike!

Dave

[hon30critter]

Harrison

Yours is looking soooo much better than mine

Harrison,

Don't beat yourself up. Everybody who scratchbuilds had to start somewhere. You should be proud of making a start into a very rewarding part of the hobby!

In hindsight, everything I have ever scratchbuilt or kitbashed could have been done better!

Dave

[Harrison]

Yours is looking soooo much better than mine:

I should really start over. I can't wait to see yours finished!

[mbinsewi]

Time to get this project going.  I've talked about it for a while, and it's finally on the work bench, after completing my overhead crane build, which, if your interested is here:

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/275511.aspx

To get this project going, a picture of the prototype, just a couple of blocks from my house.

It now belongs to the East Troy Electric Railroad, AKA the East Troy Railroad Museum.  https://www.easttroyrr.org/

This car started out life as a coal tender on the MILW.

They have made some changes, most obvious is the ladders and roof walk have been removed from the cab.

I was also able to find a drawing of this caboose, for the 01731 - 01740 series, which mine is numbered 01738.

My intent is to build this car as it was when delivered to the ETERR, not sure of the date when that happened.  I'll be adding the ladders and roof walk, and starting out with it in MILW paint.

I was able to get access to the car, and take pictures, but, I should have taken a lot more! , but with some on line help, and help from forum members, and what pictures I did take, I can work it all out, and fill the info I don't have.

First up, was the trucks.  I dug through my 3 small boxes of misc. trucks, and come up with a pair that needed only some minor work.  Removing the coil springs, and adding the leaf springs.

The original truck is on the right, the reworked truck on the left.

Then, after a long delay, I finally started on the frame.  I couldn't find an excisting caboose frame and chassis that looked right, so I started building a frame from scratch, using my pictures that I took while laying under the prototype.

It took some tweeking to get the dimensions right, but finally built, sitting on the trucks, and testing for height.

I didn't add ALL of the steel that is under the prototype, remember, this was a tender, so I added the basic frame as I seen it, while taking pictures, and made the bolsters as close as I could to the prototype, and still have this car operational, as I will be using it.

 

Then I went to work on the brake gear and equipment.  My earlier photos centered on the frame of this car, and the brake rigging wasn't even on my radar, when taking pictures, , so I was able to piece things together with the help of members in here, and some online searching, and the photos I did take. 

Having a brake wheel at both ends kind of stumped me, as far as the rigging and rods went.

Next, I worked out the steps.  Lacking in photos on the step build, it was slow, and I'm not 100% happy with the results, as they ended up about a scale 2" higher, of the rails, than the prototype.

After the steps, I did some weathering on the bottom, and then installed the diamond plate decks, and went to work on the cab, using .040 styrene.

I'll take a break here, and be back with more.

Mike.