Centralia's UP cabeese

[w neal]

So, which of the new Centralia shops UP cabeese will fit with the impending turbines?

Thanks

[C855B]

None. The trucks will be wrong.

(Seriously... UP caboose trucks are unique, sort of a hybrid designed for ride comfort. The original caboose kit - I forget the company name - supplied a snap-together truck that modeled the prototype, and Centralia carried this forward with the first few releases. However, the design tended to un-snap and unless you knew how to "pin" the truck frame with a soldering iron, was hopelessly unreliable. They adopted the MTL caboose truck, an SP prototype, shortly after it was released, and according to my contact at Centralia they were retiring the old tooling.)

With that out of the way...

GTEL8500s were operated concurrent with caboose classes CA-6 to CA-9 in mainline service. So, technically, the answer is still "none" because the CA-3 and -4 the Centralia cabooses model have riveted sides, while the newer classes were welded, and there were other key improvements. I'm sure that the older styles were pressed into service on the mains, so it's not too far of a reach.

But the "flavor" of the Centralia models will be OK. As far as lettering style, the "old" small lettering will be correct. According to my reference (Cabooses of the Union Pacific Railroad, by Strack & Eherenberger), the larger lettering was adopted in 1970, while the last turbine operated in 1969.

[Missaberoad]

while the last turbine operated in 1969.

I'm impressed they lasted that late... Were they(it?) retired before the Centennials came online?

I'm tempted to get a 1970's era caboose for a SI/CP run-through train. but that's mostly shiny object syndrome so we will see

[w neal]

Many thanks!

So the larger lettering is 1970s & beyond then?

When was the slogan era?

[wazzou]

It looks like the change from 8" lettering to 16" lettering occurred in 1972.

http://utahrails.net/caboose/caboose-lettering.php

[transitionalman]

Does anyone know if the section of roof walk on the cupola with this release is correct? (Referring to the photos MB Klein has on their website) I've looked at prototype photos and don't see the roof walk running on top of the cupola, especially since there is lettering warning to stay off of the cupola to begin with.

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/N-Scale-s/3.htm

[cjm413]

Does anyone know if the section of roof walk on the cupola with this release is correct? (Referring to the photos MB Klein has on their website) I've looked at prototype photos and don't see the roof walk running on top of the cupola, especially since there is lettering warning to stay off of the cupola to begin with.

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/N-Scale-s/3.htm

It appears the cupola roofwalks were removed in 1943:

http://utahrails.net/caboose/caboose-steel.php#ca-3

[up1950s]

Does anyone know if the section of roof walk on the cupola with this release is correct? (Referring to the photos MB Klein has on their website) I've looked at prototype photos and don't see the roof walk running on top of the cupola, especially since there is lettering warning to stay off of the cupola to begin with.

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/N-Scale-s/3.htm

Like all things prototype , it depends on year . Read the CA-3 section . Also the color of the caboose has a timeline .
http://utahrails.net/caboose/caboose-steel.php#ca-3

Damn , you beat me to it by seconds .

[Mark5]

The original caboose kit - I forget the company name - supplied a snap-together truck that modeled the prototype, and Centralia carried this forward with the first few releases.

It was Golden West Models I believe.

Mark

[C855B]

... Read the CA-3 section. ... http://utahrails.net/caboose/caboose-steel.php#ca-3

From Don Strack's site:

Union Pacific's first 100 steel CA-3 class cabooses, were delivered in May through July 1942, from Mount Vernon Car Manufacturing, Co. of Mount Vernon, Illinois. ... UP's CA-3 steel cabooses were delivered beginning in May 1942. Jim Adams was employed by Mount Vernon Car Company at the time as a draftsman in the engineering department...

Jim was the "drover" who rode with the delivery to UP. I know Jim and see him at our history museum every other week or so. He's 103, and lives in Centralia - still drives, too! - and loves to tell the caboose story.

What is not in Jim's story on Don's page is the couple of times he was intercepted by railroad officials or special agents as "an unknown person riding in the new cabooses". Considering this was wartime, it made for a few tense moments.

I'm impressed they lasted that late... Were they(it?) retired before the Centennials came online? ...

6900 was delivered in April 1969, in time for the Golden Spike Centennial in May (hence the name), and 6901-6924 trickled out of LaGrange the rest of the year. UP retired turbines 1 through 4 in 1968, but the rest were retired or taken out of service piecemeal in 1969, almost coincident with each new DDA40X. Like they planned it that way.

I don't know if they ever ran together. It's technically possible between April and December of 1969, but knowing UP of the day, new power tended to run in dedicated pools until the new car smell wore off.

[basementcalling]

The trucks sound like an opportunity for a Shapeways 3D printing wizard to offer a replacement part.

[drgw0579]

Does anyone know anything about the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie versions of these?  Can't find any photos.

Bill Kepner

[C855B]

... When was the slogan era?

There were several different slogan programs. Don outlines them here: http://utahrails.net/caboose/caboose-lettering.php#safety-slogans

[Cajonpassfan]

The trucks sound like an opportunity for a Shapeways 3D printing wizard to offer a replacement part.

Hmm, I thought somebody already makes a good stand in for the wood beam Q-trucks on Shapeways; Panamint Models perhaps? Not to say a new Q-truck wouldn't be welcome.

As to the running boards, oddly enough, the earlier Centralia releases, see pic, did not have them (correctly); prototype CA-3's had them for a very short time and the CA-4's never, and none of the post- '47 cabooses painted in yellow had them. This looks like an "improvement" that didn't need to be made....
Otto K.

[coosvalley]

Does anyone know anything about the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie versions of these?  Can't find any photos.

Bill Kepner

Here's a photo..No cupola roofwalk


http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1049614