Does anyone know of a comprehensive source (hopefully online) on the subject of Santa Fe cabooses. I am specifically interested in cabooses found on the Santa Fe during the mid to late 50’s. Division Point produced a caboose with the wig wags and I would like to purchase one, but not too sure on the dates. Thanks
It isn’t comprehensive but Santa Fe cabooses were fairly simple. They had a standard plan and stuck to it. “Santa Fe Railway Painting & Lettering Guide for Model Railroaders” by Hendrickson.
Wig wags? Do you mean the highball signals (big orange-yellow disks on the cupola that folded closed)? If so, according to the above reference, they were often called “mudflaps”. These were used on caboose on western lines starting prior to WWII they were removed with the advent of radio.
So they could have still been on them in the early 1950’s. I doubt there were any left by the late 50’s.
I figured the “mudflaps” had been removed by the late 50s, although I always like to play by the “never say never” rule. I just thought that it was an interesting detail. I knew the radios had come along by the late 50s. Didn’t Santa Fe use primarily the wagon wheels (antenna) on the first few cabooses with radio?
I found an article on the wig wags a while back that was very interesting and went into detail about them as far as what different signals they used them for and so forth. I wished I could find it again. Division Point and Pecos River Brass also both refer to them as wig wags, and so did the above mentioned article, but the other names for them were also mentioned. I like mudflaps myself.
Thanks for the help, although I sort of had a feeling that was the answer I was going to get, although I like to verify these things anyhow.
Of course I am waiting for my Santa For Safety caboose from Intermountain, which is WAY out of my era, but what the heck!! I like it, and will run it with my zebra units, and will ignore the comments. So why not go for the other caboose too?
YES.
Steve Priest and his wife Cinthia (Cynthia?) did a comprehensive book on Santa Fe Way cars (Cabeese?). I believe it was something like ‘Paired Publications’. Plenty of pictures, dates, including ‘Wig Wags’’ etc. What, Where, Why, and When. Really good!
Try Caboose Hobbies, SFM&HS (Santa Fe Modelers & Historical Society), or Steve himself @ http://www.emporiasub.com/index.html . Steve is a Santa Fe modeler ‘ALL THE WAY’.
Custom Railway Supply here in town has that book. Maybe I will have to go in there and take a quick look, although I know that as soon as I pick it up, I will probably buy it. Of course I am also always looking for an excuse to drive up to Caboose Hobbies…