People like to bring and run their own Locos at an Op session, I get that, and would propose I would be the same way. But I just cant supply all the cabooses for all the trains we can run here. And I know these guys have cabooses. This perhaps will provide incentive for them to bring their own caboose Should someone show without their own caboose this is what gets puts on the end of the train. I have no idea who made the Cupola/Bay window caboose, whoever made it thought so little of it, they withheld any claim to the thing. Quite possibly the ugliest caboose ever made, almost hurts to look at it. I managed to fit a modified Mantua underframe under it, bent some end ladders, painted the brightest colors I had on hand. I even clamped the wheels in the mill and ground flat spots on the wheels, so it bangs it way around the MRR, Painted the wheels so they put on a show while rolling around, should have painted the smoke stack in a Barber pole fashion, but just lack the talent to do it. It has had a profound effect on the caboosless so far, now they bring 2-3 cabooses, just in case one beaks. Please carry on...
Is this a BAYPULA caboose? Another fine product from Holleycraft Industries. Tom, love your sense of humor! John
The car brings back some nice memories, although mine was a different color. These were made by Gilbert American Flyer during 61-63.
Thanks Guys!! It is certainly an attention getter Murphy Your right, I need to get an HO scale Ronald McDonald to glue to a platform, I guess any circus clown would work though. Maybe a flashing beacon, and sound playing that circus jingle too. It gets more use than one might think. It makes quite a racket rolling and hammering around the MRR with the wheels going in and out of sync. Karl thanks for identifying the Baypula caboose, the thing is 50 years old !!
I bet it does get alot of attention Tom. I do like these older fantasy models. I have an Elvis Presley painted Alco with a weird square cab that occassional makes it onto my little running loop(still don't have a proper layout yet) Preiser makes an HO Scale Hobo Clown. If you can't find one I could mail you one free of charge(that is once the snow lets up and I can go get some stamps). Also in the most recent issue of Trains Magazine(March 2014 issue), in the Ask Trains section there is a segment about the Baypula cabooses. It mentions that Gilbert started making them in the 1950s and in real life the Missouri Pacific had 30 of them(without the streamlining and steel sides of course). It also shows a reserve mining caboose with an added baywindow.I know its not Frisco, but the Reserve Mining car is cool to me because I worked almost every saturday last fall in an ex-Reserve Mining Caboose on the Arkansas & Missouri.
In our neighborhood here on Frisco St. BNSF stands for "Big New Super Frisco". It's not gone, just grown.
And yet another reason to model the FRED era.......That car brings a whole new meaning to the word "crummy" Nice gag! Should I ever make it out to 'Junction", believe me, I'll have several Frisco cabooses packed away for just such an emergency. Which makes me wonder......has anyone purposely put wheelsets with flatspots on certain of their rolling stock for yet another facet of realism?
I haven't, but a friend of mine has talked about putting a decoder in a boxcar or covered hopper with a speaker that would play a booming flat spot sound as it rolled around the layout.
Thanks Bob, Yea you should have seem Brian Morris's reaction to it, thought he was going to be ill I do have a few cars that still have the JB wheels, and they have a few flat spots on them. I just used a jewelers file to put some flat spots on them, I think there is probably 1/2 dozen cars or so. Come on back and see us in the "Junction". You wont believe what Matt Darling has done to my old MRR trailer.
Thanks Murphy, for the comments. I always appreciate the input. And heck yes I will take that clown, I have never seen a caboose more perfect for a clown than this one LOL. PM me and I will get you my address. Thanks!!
Proof positive a "Baypula" caboose did exist, just like Murphy M said, it is around 3:12 on the video. I watched to whole series of his videos, what treasures huh? https://youtu.be/Uvur9oNtM2E
