building a 3" scale bobber caboose

[Harlock]

Hi kids time for the monthly update.

The caboose body is nearing completion. The cupola has been more or less finished, a hole cut out in the main roof and both roofs painted black. What's remaining is the catwalks, smokejack and for the cupola to be attached to the roof, and painting of the top boards along the sides. The interior was also painted a similar yellow to the prototype as found on #1009 and that makes it credible when looking through the windows.

As you can see the cupola windows are in place and the side sliding windows are functional with the little RP metal sliders.

The Bryterails lamp has been mostly painted and installed and wired, along with the RP printed lamp bracket. Those brackets are going through a revision and will be replaced with a second rev. It turns out we don't need the little divots on the top and the bottom as our corners are not sharp. We will also be painting the brackets black to stand out a little better.

For scale reference, the caboose is 5 feet long from bumper to bumper. I picked the smallest prototype imaginable and it's still huge in 3" scale.

[Harlock]

Here is a preview of the catwalks coming together. There are some brackets being added on the overhangs at the ends, here is a picture of one from prototype #1009.

[SilverSanJuan]

That's really beautiful work, Mike. Thanks for the size reference. I didn't realize how big it actually is.

She's gonna be a beauty on the rails.

Todd

[chrfitt]

Having followed all your other "builds" I have to say that you and your dad are doing the same excellent job with the bobber. The attention to detail is what makes it stand out. Very nice work. Can't wait to see it on the rails behind the MEG.

Chris

[ccvstmr]

Mike, nice 'boose! As you get into the larger scales, paying attention to finer details makes the model "pop" even more. Looking at your pix, I can only assume the 'boose roof is NOT removable (or at least, not easily removed). If not, guess you won't be using the 'boose for storage or interior detailing. Carl B.

[Harlock]

Mike, nice 'boose! As you get into the larger scales, paying attention to finer details makes the model "pop" even more. Looking at your pix, I can only assume the 'boose roof is NOT removable (or at least, not easily removed). If not, guess you won't be using the 'boose for storage or interior detailing. Carl B.

It is actually removable but you have to unscrew the ladders first, so it won't be coming off very often. We had initially thought of having ladders that break away (Bill Boller did that with his new D&RG long caboose) and that could still be retrofitted in the future. You can slip a lunch bag and soda pretty easily through the doors though. but I also have a boxcar for that closer to the engine.

The car is capable of having an interior added as well. At such time as an interior is added the mods would also be performed to the ladder. The roof is also a tight fit like an ice chest lid. It would need some re-engineering.

Here are some catwalk photos from yesterday.

[Harlock]

Quick update on the caboose. The roof catwalks are now on and painted. Just a few more things to do on the body.

Here also is my friend John for scale.

[DJSteamer3017]

Mike,

You have a really nice Bobber, it's really coming along too. How long will it be until you put the chassis on it to get it rolling? Thanks and Keep On Steamin' My Friend!!

David

[Harlock]

Mike,

You have a really nice Bobber, it's really coming along too. How long will it be until you put the chassis on it to get it rolling? Thanks and Keep On Steamin' My Friend!!

David

The one thing I've learned to say is...it's done when it's done....

[Harlock]

The last major item on the body was the smokejack. We had some difficulty getting dimensions from this piece as no one was ever able to climb on to the roof of the surviving cabeece and directly measure, so we made some guesses.

The first one turned out to be too big so a second one was made that seems to be about right.

Copper sheet was rolled and soldered into tubes, and the seam polished smooth.

A wood support/filler was turned in the lathe and then copper tubing slipped in and over it, then the diagonal tapered part rolled and attached and finally the shroud at the top.

The bottom angle was made and then a cap screwed into the wood, with a central thread held on from inside the caboose by a wing nut. The brace and collar move freely on the upper column so that there is no tension built up when all is attached.

The last photo shows the first smokejack with the bottom mounting thread visible.

as you can see with my hand for scale, 3" scale is quite large. It would be standard gauge on 15" gauge track, or in my case 30" gauge on 7.5" gauge track.

[Harlock]

The smokejack was the last item for the body - after that the caboose was moved to my house for all of the under-chassis work - the pedestals, journal boxes, spring rigging, axle machining. The wheels are pre-finished from RMI.

Here is a picture of shoe-horning it in my sport compact wagon, and an up-to date assembly photo with myself for scale. When I know something will fit in the wagon, I bring that instead of the truck as it saves a huge amount of gas.

In the end I decided that the pedestal frames will be a fabrication from water jet and machined spacers with an RP fascia for detail, and the spring attach clips are water jet as well from 1" steel plate. As opposed to traditional castings discussed much earlier in the thread, due to the availability of low cost water jetting. Outer appearance will be the same. Leaf spring bundles are being fabricated by my dad. Over the next month or two I will document the progress of the undercarriage. There is also a lot of work to do on the brake cylinder/resovoir and rigging (for show, not functional in this case.) and it will warrant another visit to Richard Farmer who has the real hardware in the shop, for some measuring.

-Mike

[SilverSanJuan]

Looks spot-on, Mike. Great work!

Todd