When I opened up a recent N Scale Railroading issue and saw that Trainworx was making an etched brass kit for D&RGW’s welded side cabooses, I couldn't have been happier. The Rio Grande’s 01470 - 01490 series welded side cabooses were manufactured by the D&RGW and have a unique modern look about them. My 1955 -1956 era layout can definitely use a few. The kit uses the Atlas caboose as a starting point. Essentially you sand the details off the Atlas caboose and laminate the brass sides onto the body. The end rails are filed off the Atlas under frame and the etched rails added. The details on this kit, while small, are easy to work with. I was particularly impressed with the grab irons in this kit. They are well thought out with the bend lines relief etched into them. Because of this, the grabs all bend exactly where they are supposed to then. I can't say enough about how well this kit is engineered. Pat at Trainworx has done a superb job. The caboose was a joy to build, which is good since it's the first of several I’ll be constructing. I used Atlas friction bearing caboose trucks with Fox Valley metal wheelsets and Z scale couplers. The paint scheme my caboose wears is the all black scheme it was delivered in when new in 1955. This was an easy decal job since it was before the D&RGW put end numbers on the cupola or the diagonal striping along the bottom of the sides. If any of you have a need for a D&RGW caboose running through on your home road, I would highly recommend you pick up one of these. Pat at Trainworx is very easy to work with as far as ordering. His URL is http://www.wic.net/~trainworx/order.html. Pats having some server problems with his website currently but the D&RGW page should be up soon. Shoot him an email if you want to place an order at trainworx@wic.net or I think some of the N scale Etailers should have some of these in stock. For more photos check out http://therailwire.net/smf/index.php/topic,12151.0.html Erik
Looks great! How long did it take you to asseble the kit? Might have to consider 2-3 myself, once I have a little free cash. Gotta have something to put behind the eventual Athearn Challengers I have on order!
That is a great looking N-scale caboose! The pictures look like you are showing a very high quality HO-scale model.
Beautifully done Eric,looks fantastic!Cant wait for mine to turn up. Agree with the comments regarding Pat at TW,top bloke & very helpful,we should all be doing our bit to help support Pat & what he is doing for our scale!(Not to mention what he's also doing for DRGW fans )
Yes, everybody buy as many of the welded side cabooses as you can. Because he told me in an email that the rivited side would be next. I'm down for two of those. BTW Erik, that is a sweet caboose. Top notch modeling there. Eric
Awesome, I have 3 to build--it's good to hear how trouble-free they go together... Thanks for the review!
Keith, It took two weeks of working on it an hour or so in the evening after work and about 3 or 4 hours each weekend day. Erik
Nobody said they were gonna go together quick--I guess to get a stunning model from that kit, some extra time and effort needs to be expended!:shade:
Things moved along fairly quickly. The kit is pretty involved though. The next one should go about 20% faster now that I have one under my belt. A couple of build recommendations for you guys about to build these. Make the window openings in the Atlas body fairly large, this will make it easier to get the window material in. Leave the body and frame seperate until after you finish weathering and clear coating the model. That way you can add the window material and not have to worry about masking them. Also, be sure to pay attention to filling and sanding any roof irregularities. I could have done this better. With a black roof it really makes any blemishes stand out. Erik
The Trainworx caboose page is up again. Just scroll down until you see the caboose kit pricing. They also sell the undec Atlas cabooses and decals. http://www.wic.net/~trainworx/riogrande.htm Erik
Diggin' up bones... I am looking for tips on building these, anything not covered above? I especially have questions about how best to straighten the etched sides. They have a slight, yet distinct cup in them. I have had these for nearly 20 years and just rediscovered them. I don't know how they got cupped, maybe as part of the etching process. The package isn't damaged such that they would have warped, so I donno what to do the fix that.
I believe it was warped from the first. But, it's so thin that a good glue will make it all right using Atlas caboose as a core. My models are doing well after more than a decade. Hiroshi Nakanishi | Boxcar Red Collection
Phenomenal work on those cabeese, Hiroshi! Thanks for the tip--what glue did you use? Just a standard CA? Thin or gel type?
Those are awesome excellent work. I am jealous of you both and to all who where able to acquire thee kits. Again Grande looking cabooses
I think I used gel-type instant glue. Be careful not to apply glue near the small louver on the side, or you have to dig it out afterward! And, you should better cut the legs of the handrails on the cupola roof short because it's difficult to cut them afterward, as you see above. Hiroshi Nakanishi | Boxcar Red Collection
For a brass side kit, this is one of the most challenging and frustrating kits I have built in a long time. I did brass car sides on a Bachmann full done years ago, and had fewer troubles. This one was maddening! First, the instructions might be written better. The first few steps to prep the caboose donor body were crucial to success. I didn't realize that I needed to exactly measure the filler strips for the cupola, but I didn't and had to use putty to fill in gaps. Next, the sides themselves were a pain. A major pain! They look great, but were challenging to align properly before the glue set. I removed them (thankfully without warping or mangling them) twice when I used CA, but couldn't get it in place aligned properly soon enough. I scrapped using CA for the sides altogether and had better success. I ended up using a thin contact adhesive. It had just enough working time before it set for me to properly align the side. The donor body needed significant surgery to prepare it for the windows. Making the window opening oversized prevents the inside of the body from showing thru the windows. Unmodified body below. The sides are on, the cupola faced, and the ends and doors are installed. Much detail to install yet.
