Athearn D.& R.G. Wood caboose very nice.

[Nato]

     I was at my LHS "MRS Hobby Shop" yesterday and could not resist the Athearn wood caboose in Rio Grande paint scheme. I purchased the original MDC Round House version a few years back. Their Rio Grande version featured the old non Flying Rio Grande herald . I installed the MDC dummy knuckel couplers on that car,a Santa Fe version and a VT car. Those couplers are less than perfect. The new Athearn version of this car is very nicely done. It has the Flying Rio Grande lettering and Denver & Rio Grande Western letterig on letter board as per prototype.The curved side grabs are painted white,the black roof is complemented by freight car colored roof walks . Mc Henry couplers improve coupling. This car is close to the protype cars, but no cookie. Rio Grande's cars had or were rebuilt with steel underframes, no truss rods as on the model, and the arch bar trucks if delivered with  them  were gone by the late 1930's -40's era . Some cars had four pained side windows originally and some had four pained cupola side windows. Western Pacific had identical cars since Jay Gould controlled both roads at one time and standardized designs were used. I would really like to see this model offered in the later Burlington bright Chinese Red colors that I saw on cars in Denver on Rail Buff trips in the 1960"s ,70's. The model would also make a decent stand in for Canadian Pacific cars, although the cupolas should be slightly taller and have single side windows. Nate Goodman (Nato).

[asarge]

These are very nicely done models.

[Midniteflyer]

How about some pics!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nato]

    I got out my book "CABOOSE" by Brian Solomon and John Gruber ,PUB MBI International. Low and Behold the cover photo taken in Illinois shows one of the Q's wood cabooses, also a Wabash Santa Fe Style Steel Car. The Burlington cars had four side windows, not three,their body leingth might be slightly longer, some had four pained side windows, some did not. The cupola ends and sides are metal (tin?) the photo shows the paint peeled off exposing bare tin, (over wood?) some cars had single cupola side windows others did not. Biggest difference Burlington like Union Pacific uaed wood beam passenger car trucks under their cabooses for smoother ride. I have used Bachmann old timer passenger car trucks inder my MT and Con Cor / Trix UP wood cars. The wheelbase looks longer on Burlington cars, maybe the MDC express reefer truck would work. End ladders are also different, there are turnbuckel braces to cupola,cupola roof is more rounded (curved) but the Athearn car would still be a good start. Photos hopefully coming later this week when my friend Bob Gilmore brings his camera down.                               Nate Goodman (Nato).

[CoalPorter]

Yes, they are great for the WP. I got one a super detailed  and painted it. I doubt Atheran will ever do this paint scheme. I rebuilt the underframe with correct truck spacing (the model truck spacing looks way off to me), finer scale truss rods, and I think the steps should be stirups (like on a tender) and not starways like the model has. I don't really like the rachet break handle the use either.