Folks, In the early 1990s Tim Cannon loaned me a sack full of old Frisco Modelers Information Group (FMIG) magazine issues, constituting my first foray into the world of SL-SF prototype modeling. Thank you Tim! I made substantial photocopies at my college library when I probably should have been studying. Included are a couple pages of caboose photographs from the Steve Squibb collection, including outside-braced caboose SLSF 952. My questions: What were the origins of this one? Was it assigned to a particular area, it looks like it would be suited for branch or transfer work only? Disposition date, the photograph has yellow handrails and "FRISCO" coonskin, so I am guessing this is a post-WW II photograph? Any photographs that anyone has that can be shared? My copy is dark and grainy at best. I can only imagine that it was the car shop's first attempt at converting excess boxcars to caboose service, well before the PS-1 boxcar to wide-vision caboose conversions by the Consolidated mechanical Shops (CMS). Thanks!
Folks, Given enough time to browse, I finally found more information along with a photograph of this caboose. http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/friscoline/images/photos/p00864.jpg The caption indicates it was built from a SLSF 126000 series outside braced boxcar. However, the photographer, source, location and date are unknown. In the absence of any other information on it, I am putting it on my "to model" list. I figure it will make a good transfer caboose for our Kansas City Terminal model railroad layout.
Hey Chris, That caboose likes like it could be kit bashed from a sawtooth boxcar kit from Westerfield.
Gosh, Jim, I do not know that I could start hacking away at a nice Westerfield kit! Your note did get me thinking, though. I have a Tichy USRA single sheathed XM on which I have had a few false starts. The last time I took it on a road trip for work, I realized I had snapped off my last #79 and #80 drill bits, and I have not started on it since. On the presumption that caboose SLSF 952 is just too blasted unique for a drawing to exist somewhere, I might try to extrapolate dimensions from the aforementioned photograph, rough up a drawing and see if the Tichy kit would be a good candidate.
