The Lakeville Amboy & Conneaut Railroad has been sorely lacking in the caboose area for some time. Many days the caboose would have to be immediately stocked and turned around for the next trip out putting alot of undue stress on the crews and conductor.

The LA&C RR typically buys used equipment and rehabs it to their liking. The problem is, with the crippling crash of loco #5 and the repair work coming in from other places the crews have been stretched to their limits. So finally after too many months #10 has been released to the rails.

Build photo

I added a tar paper roof

better marker lights

Kadee couplers

some more random photos

The caboose started life as a DRGW oxide red caboose. I bought it off ebay for $90. It was listed as damaged but the only thing wrong was the marker lights were broken off possibly from being dropped in it’s box. I completely disassembled it stripped the lettering and removed all the glazing from the windows. I repainted the walkways and roof walk to resemble wood and i added a “tar paper” roof made from masking tape. The caboose was painted american red which is close to caboose red from floquil, which I can’t seem to get anymore. I added some trackside details marker lights and lit them with grain of wheat lamps and a 7.4 volt LiIon battery. The cut levers were connected (non working) to Kadee couplers. The lettering is from Stan Cedarleaf. You can’t tell but I painted the inside a dull green and the seats/beds blsck. I left the trucks and brakewheels the oxide red just to contrast a little bit. I also left the all the grab rails white unlike my other cabeese which have yellow. i like the look of it and may change the others to match. I had to add some inside bracing because the ends bowed in badly, maybe from the drop. All in all I think it came out well.

Terry

Sorry, screwed the pictures up the first time.

Looks good Terry

Very nice Terry. I like your choice of colors. The rebuild was a success!

Nice job!

Was/is that the Bachmann short caboose?

Now, wouldn’t that look nice behind the “Annie”?

Nice redo terry.

Rick, it was an Accucraft shorty.

LOL!!! I just realized I put the roof on backwards!! The smokestack is supposed to be by the blank window… dammit.

No Bob, you can’t have it.

Very nice Terry. I’m in the process of doing the lights in my AMS shorty caboose. Also using Trackside Details marker lights and adding two Hartford Products chimney lamps in the interior. I started this project a few years ago and just now trying to complete it.

I have a question for you about mounting the lights in the marker lamps. I’m using LED’s and decided to drill out the bottom of the castings to accept the LED’s. I’m using 3/64 diameter heat shrink tubing around the two leads and then pushing the LED’s into place and using a drop of Gorilla “crazy glue” to hold them in place. How did you mount your bulbs?

Again a very nice build!

Terry Burr said:

Rick, it was an Accucraft shorty.

LOL!!! I just realized I put the roof on backwards!! The smokestack is supposed to be by the blank window… dammit.

Yea, I did the same dam thing when I rebuilt mine. Easy to change though

Terry,

I have two versions of this caboose and both have badly bowed ends like yours did…I don’t think it was dropped, I think it likely came that way.

Terry,

Very nice!

Fwiw, both of mine had bowed ends straight out of the box!

Terry, Nice looking caboose…

Terry, show me a picture of the “Annie” and your caboose together on a piece of track so I can dream?

Gary, I used grain of wheat lamps that have prewired 6" lengths of wire. I drilled the bottom of the marker out to 1/8" lit the lamp and slid it in until I liked how it illuminated the lenses then I used hot glue and filled in the hole.

I like incadescent lamps over LEDs because they give a warmer light and give light equally from all sides instead of the LED which gives most of it’s light from the tip. But they will burn out and can use more power. That’s the other reason I use hot glue is so if the lamp fails I can still remove it.

Terry

Thanks Terry for your tips. I might have to rethink using LED’s though and try grain of wheats. I’ll do some experimenting. My mount is done the same way as you did.

Sharp looking caboose Terry

Chuck

I tore it back apart this morning. The roof on wrong was really bothering me. While it was off I took a pic of how I braced the inside to get the bow out.

(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i231/paintjockey/photobucket-45854-1361200190911_zpsbb58e562.jpg)

It’s brass angle with 1/16 shims to keep the door from being pushed out. Pretty simple but the doors become unusable this way. Not a big deal for me but my kids probly won’t be happy. My son likes to load the trains up with action figures.

Also for anyone using trackside details marker lights here’s the lens that I use. The mouser p/n denotes the color of the lens at the end R for red, G for green etc. Their site info is in the top right corner.

(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i231/paintjockey/photobucket-20895-1361201177105_zps7b926fe5.jpg)

I like the idea of lanterns inside so I’m gonna order some and wait to put it back together.

Terry

Looks great!

-Kevin.