I’m modeling a freelanced northeast short line set in the mid to late 1950s. Would a short line like this use cast-off Class 1 cabooses or buy new? What would be some good examples for me to use?
Thanks!
As a protolancer, I can see several possible answers, based mainly on the road’s financial state:
- Doing quite well - buy new, but very possibly to another railroad’s design. (Carbuilder’s agent; “We’re tooling up to build 50 of this design for the Santa Fe…” Shortline purchasing agent, “We’ll take one of that style…”)[8D]
- Counting pennies - buy a hand-me-down from the local Class I or other connection. (“The XY&Z is retiring those early steel-frame cabooses. If we offer scrap value plus $5 we should be able to get the pick of the litter.”)[^]
- Strapped - build a caboose from whatever is handy. (“You know that old single-sheathed box car sitting next to the shops? Smitty says he can use odd parts from the old caboose and some spare lumber and make a half-decent way car out of it.”)[sigh]
Since you’re freelancing, anything reasonable goes. I have freelance hopper-brakes that are an unholy union - half a two-bay hopper spliced to one end of an SP bay-window caboose, painted black and fitted with appropriate Japanese detailing…[:-^]
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Great answer !
nah, too shabby, conductor rode the engine…
How about a surplus passenger car, particularly a combination coach/baggage? It could be used to haul passengers (mixed train service) or for the the train crew (freight service) only.
Mark
I think a NE shortline would be feeling the effects of competition from tose newfangled state highways. A coupola style caboose may be standard, but new high cars may prevent crews from observing the train. They may try a bay window style.
The color scheme will be simplified, BCR. Prospects may be bright enough to get a loan to upgrade track & equipment. The RR may make some money by hauling construction materials to the new dam or the new interstate highway. A new coal fired power plant brings a new big customer to the region.
Most of the steel cabooses were were built in the 1930’s or so. What caboose were they using in 1900? In 1925? There is a good chance thats still the same caboose they are using in 1950. Maybe rebuilt with plywood instead of car siding, maybe with a steel underframe rather than truss rods. Maybe using the combine that became surplus when they stopped hauling passengers in 1931. I doubt a shortline in the 1950’s would be profitable enough to buy a new caboose. More likely they would rebuild a boxcar into a caboose or rebuild an existing caboose.
A shortline in the 1950’s would be a railroad that has been around for 50-75 years. They aren’t the same as a shortline in 1990 where the railroad was created overnight and had to get everything from scratch.
Dave H.