Frisco Wood Caboose - HO AMB Laser Cut Kit

We still have several HO Frisco wood caboose kits made by American Model Builders for sale. These cabooses were designed from actual Frisco blueprints and feature

Two cupola (steel or slanted wood)
Two roof stsyles (canvas or steel)
Two end door styles
Peel and stick construction on most components
Prototypical end ladders

The kit does not include trucks, couplers, decals, paint or weights.

This kit retails for $46.95 but Frisco.org members can buy them for $35. An added bonus is that each kit will include a set of Railgraphics decals FREE. This set of decals will enable you to letter your caboose in one of four different lettering styles.

Shipping is $6 for the first kit and add $1 for each additional kit in the order. Send a check or money order to

Rick McClellan
PO Box 860445
Shawnee, KS 66286

 

Terry, you can do either with the same kit. The ladders are wood and quite fragile. My attempts to do ladders from brass were not successful - but that was just my poor modeling skills. The only soldering needed are for the end platform hand rails and the cupola roof hand rails. Jigs and Tix help. Consider the kit a craftsman level - they certainly aren't "shake the box." I built five of them. The RTR from Walthers is almost as good and come with interior details. Neither have the end-platform whistles. Doug

 

Jim,

Take a look at Art Griffin's decal line. No Frisco caboose decals, but some of the freight car decals (Frisco System coonskin box car, or Frisco Line gondola decals) might work for a pre 1920 caboose.

http://www.greatdecals.com/Griffin.htm

John Sanders

 

If you can't get them from Rick, Laserkit still lists kit 863 on their on-line catalog:

http://www.laserkit.com/laserkit.htm

$46.95 MSRP

 

Kit availability is no issue. Modelers will simply have to decide if they want to pay $35 for kit+decals or $47 without decals.

Each kit come with a two pages of history and two pages of prototype photos.

Frisco experts (not me) recommend the Tichy Bettendorf Dbl Leaf Spring Truck. It is Tichy # 3051 and sells for $2.95/pair or $15.50 for 10 (I like the bulk pack). I also recommend Intermountain 33" wheelset to complete a winning truckset for your caboose. All good hobby stores should have these trucks in stock. This is the url for the Tichy website in case you don't have a good hobby store.

http://www.tichytraingroup.com/index.php?page=view_category.php&category=Freight+Car+Parts&offset=25

 

Kadee now makes a leaf spring Bettendorf truck:

http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page580.htm

Any idea how close these are to the prototype?

Rich

 

Excellent. I hope you will get a photo or two posted when you are done.

 

I have made a ladder negative to scale to etch the caboose ladders out of brass. I have the brass coated with the photo etchant, but I have to buy a bigger glass casarole tray before I can etch them. I will let everyone know if I am seccessful.
Richard

 

I am modelling the ladder from the AMB Laser Cut Kit.
Richard