Cabooses SLSF 1200-1274 - Underframe Details And Electric Generator Detail Photographs - Inquiry

I'm working on a model of a caboose in the 1230-1274 range with General Steel Castings (GSC) swing hanger trucks.

I am having a difficult time finding clear photographs of the underframe, particularly details such as the axle generator and brake cylinder, rods and clevis arrangement.

Does anyone have any detail shots showing any of these components?

 

I suppose that I could photograph the underside of one of my Overland Models brass models.

Would that help and does anyone on the forum know if they are correct or close to it?

 

That would be great.

I do not have any knowledge whether the Overland Models cabooses are correct or not, but I will bet they did their homework.

I ended up finding caboose SLSF 1284 near my house, so I took a good look at it today and got a pretty good idea of the brake cylinder, clevis and rod arrangement.

I figure that part did not change much from the 1230s to the 1280s so I installed the brake system on my model tonight.

Of course, I could still use any information you might have on the electric generator.

 

Ryan,

Caboose SLSF 1284 is a completely different design than the earlier caboose series SLSF 1200-1274.

Caboose SLSF 1284 has the generator inside the caboose under a bench and it is belt driven.

The earlier ones have a hanging generator underneath.

Also the brake cylinder and arrangements are completely different.

I have caboose SLSF 1232 here in Tulsa, OK now, I can take some photographs if it will do you any good.

 

Ryan,

If you still run Tulsa-Ft. Worth you can now see caboose SLSF 1232 sitting alongside the right of way.

From Norris go past mile marker 432 and look out the window to the left, it is in a gravel area with some oil wells.

It just arrived here today.

 

That would be great, Paul.

I wish I were there in Tulsa, OK to see it firsthand. Maybe if things pick up there I might get forced back there. We will have to meet up if I do. Right now I do not go any farther north than Madill, OK on the former Frisco.

I know about the differences between the two in terms of the air reservoir, control valve, generator type and location. However, I figured since the cylinder and brake linkage was hidden behind the battery boxes, I did not fret too much over it.

I am assuming that the batteries are what is inside the cabinets hanging below the cupola. The generator is a pretty big deal though. I cannot find any good photographs of it and it really occupies quite a bit of space underneath.

 

Ryan,

The generators in the earlier ones are huge, they hang down in front of the axle on the short end of the caboose.

If the long end of the caboose was forward, the generator would be on the fireman's side. The axle has an 18 inch round flat faced pulley mounted around it that drives a 6 inch wide belt through an idler and around the generator pulley.

The generator hangs down to about 6 inches above the rail height and I had to remove the generator to move caboose SLSF 1232. I can post some photographs of the generator tomorrow and some photograph under the caboose to show the axle and the idler pully.

I weighed the generator today and it weighs 870 pounds! By the way the caboose body came in at 43,600 pounds and the trucks weighed 9700 pounds each.

If you think of any other detail photographs you need, I will be happy to post some.

 

Ryan,

I have noticed something about battery boxes, Cabooses SLSF 1232, SLSF 1227, and SLSF 1261 have only one long battery box on one side only.

I am sure some others are like that, but I just have not seen them. But the majority of the others, caboose SLSF 1249 included, have a shorter battery box on each side.

Do not know why the difference because the numbering is random, and does not follow any specific pattern.

 

Holy cow, Paul!

I did not realize those generators were that heavy.

I am used to seeing the axle generators, like on the bay window cabooses or those on Santa Fe cupola cabooses. The giant thing hanging underneath these cabooses caught me off guard at first.

I thought it was some wayside appliance at first, until I noticed it under all the caboose photographs I was looking at from that series.

Any photographs you can provide will be helpful. I am getting closer to completing this model every day and adding the generator will be a nice touch.

 

I said caboose SLSF 1261 had a only one battery box, but actually it is caboose SLSF 1259, my error.

Yeah, those generators are really something huge. I went inside caboose SLSF 1288 and the generator was in the interior under a bench. It is belt driven from below.

I was surprised at the small size of it compared to the earlier ones.

Ryan, if you ever come to Tulsa, OK I would hope you could come by sometime.

I will get some good photographs tomorrow.

 

The model generator looks fairly close and accurate, but the mounting bracket on the model is very large compared to the prototype.

You can see the hanging mounting bracket in the photographs as well as the belt, the idler pully and the axle mounted pulley.

 

Brake rigging detail photographs.

 

Wow, those are great photographs, Paul.

Thank you very much. This is a great help.

Tom,

Thanks for the link and the photographs of the model.

It does not look like too much effort would be required to have a very close match.

Suddenly, this project is getting a lot easier.

 

I am glad the photographs are useful for you guys.

I love this site and am very willing to contribute any photographs or information that may be useful to our Frisco friends.

 

Took a photograph of caboose SLSF 1249's generator that shows detail.

Photograph is dark but you can see the outline. The pulley is cored, depth is about half the distance of the pulley. The hanging bracket also shows.

The sheet metal cover is missing from the business end of the generator on caboose SLSF 1249.