HO scale Extended Vision Caboose Body Kits and Detail Parts

Full strength for me, Roger. I just pour it back into the spray bottle when I'm done.

Thanks for the high marks! Shapeways has impressed me with the printing on these trucks. I've recently added three designs appropriate for autoracks, among other cars, and I'm anxious to see if they turn out as nice.

 

Thanks, Tom! Here are the three I found on the Frisco Archive:

http://frisco.org/mainline/?s=1200

You might need to zoom in pretty good to see them on one of the photos.

As far as I know, these trucks were only used on SLSF 1200, although they were used on other railroad's equipment. A version with a shock absorber on the outside was used by KCS and Rock Island on some of their bay window cabooses. Santa Fe Flexivan flats had them and I have even seen them on a PFE reefer.

I don't really have any intention of making the swing hanger trucks since Centralia Car Shops already makes them. I'm waiting until I have a pile of things to order from Des Plaines Hobbies before I get some more so I don't get burned so bad on the shipping. Of course if Centralia stops making them, I'll pursue it. I just don't want to duplicate something that's already out there.

Now I hope I didn't mislead you the way I phrased that last sentence. I am not 3D printing autoracks. They would cost a fortune to print! I am only talking about printing trucks that are appropriate for them.

National makes a swing motion truck in a couple different varieties with wheels from 28" to 38". Of course the wheelbase is longer for each wheel size and consequently the sideframes are different. I started off making a 70 ton version with 33" wheels. These were used on UP CA-11 cabooses since the GSI trucks, such as those used on SLSF 1201-1274 and other UP cabooses, were no longer available from GSI at the time the CA-11s were built. Nearly every other railroad - including Frisco for the remainder of the EV cabooses - went with some version of the Barber-Bettendorf swing motion caboose trucks with the elliptical springs, which is pretty well covered by Atlas.

Long story short, after making this truck and another variation on it with a different spring arrangement, I realized I could find them under autoracks and other intermodal cars. Since some of the traffic I'm modeling in Fort Worth includes autos from the GM plant in Arlington, Texas, I need several autoracks. These trucks help with that effort, but believe me when I say I'm letting Walthers and Accurail do the real work of supplying the actual autoracks. I'm still reeling thinking how much a 3D printed autorack would cost!

Now what I am looking at doing, assuming I can find some good information on the subject, is 3D printing replacement end doors for the Walthers autoracks. That's one area where there is a ton of variety that's rarely modeled.

Here are the new trucks I designed that will work under autoracks:

http://shpws.me/LINU
http://shpws.me/LINT
http://shpws.me/LINS

I'll have to go through Frisco photos to see if I can find these on any Frisco autoracks.

 

You're absolutely right, Tom. I forgot about the roller bearings. I'll have to take a look at the Centralia/IM trucks and see what I can come up with for a solution to this detail difference.

 

I received some new parts in the mail a couple days ago. Here is my model of the generator used on some Frisco cabooses, notably those in the 1200-1274 range:






This part is designed to fit an HO scale Atlas caboose underframe. It is available on my Shapeways store at:

http://shpws.me/LBg6




Now I'm one part closer to building a model of SLSF 1200.

 

Regarding the swing hanger trucks, I made a journal cover part to add on to the Centralia Car Shops trucks. I should have it in a couple weeks. Hopefully my measurements are correct and the part fits the trucks. I'll post some photos when I receive it.

 

I received the solid bearing journal cover part today. It looks good and fits the Centralia Car Shops truck sideframes well. Here is the link to the part:

http://shpws.me/M0RK

Here are some photos of the part (I used four of them by the time I thought to take a photo) and the part installed:







If it stops raining I'll be able to get some paint on it. Now that I have a proper pair of trucks it looks like I'll need to build another caboose...

 

I must say, the various selection of sides, roofs, ends and cupolas are great. Before, you literally had to do major kitbashings to get close to getting some of the different styles of these cabooses. Now you can have the correct version of a MP offset cupola caboose with correct ends and sides, correct version for SL-SF w/ split side window cupola, ends and sides, same for SSW, AT&SF, D&RGW, MKT, GN, NP, SOO and so on. This is what we all have been waiting for. Still need to find out where to get the Swing Hangar Caboose Trucks by Centralia. Not getting any listings online.

 

Thanks for the kind words, Don.

Here's where I got the trucks:

http://www.desplaineshobbies.com/store/product/47335/UP-CA-3-CABOOSE-TRUCKS/