Looking for detail photos of caboose underframe

I'm working on a model of a caboose in the 1230-1274 range with swing hanger trucks. I am having a difficult time finding clear photos of the underframe, particularly details such as the axle generator and brake cylinder/rod/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 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 don't have any knowledge whether the Overland models are correct or not, but I'll bet they did their homework.

I ended up finding 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 didn't 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 info you might have on the generator.

 

r c h, 1284 is a completely different design than the earlier 1200 series. 1284 has the generator inside the caboose under a bench and its belt driven. The earlier ones have a hanging generator underneath. Also the brake cylinder and arrangements are completely different. I have 1232 here in Tulsa now, I can take some pics if it will do you any good.

 

r c h, if you still run Tulsa -Ft. Worth you can now see caboose 1232 sitting alongside the right of way. From Norris go past mile marker 432 and look out the window to the left, its 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 to see it firsthand. Maybe if things pick up there I might get forced back there. We'll have to meet up if I do. Right now I don't go any farther north than Madill on the former Frisco.

I know about the differences between the two in terms of reservoir, control valve and generator type/location, but figured since the cylinder and brake linkage was hidden behind the battery boxes (I'm assuming that's what's inside the cabinets hanging below the cupola) I didn't fret too much over it. The generator is a pretty big deal, though. I can't find any good photos of it and it really occupies quite a bit of space under there.

 

Rich, 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 firemans 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 1232. I can post some pics of the generator tomorrow and some pics under the caboose to show the axle and the idler. I weighed the generator today and it weighs 870 lbs ! By the way the caboose body came in at 43,600 lbs and the trucks weighed 9700 each. If you think of any other detail pics I will be happy to post some.

 

Rich, I have noticed something about battery boxes, 1232, 1227, and 1261 have only one long battery box on one side only, and Im sure some others are like that but I just havent seen them but the majority of the others (1249 included) have a shorter battery box on each side. Dont know why the difference because the numbering is random and dont follow any specific pattern.

 

Holy cow, Paul! I didn't realize those generators were that heavy. I'm 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 photos I was looking at from that series.

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

 

I said 1261 had a only one battery box but actually its 1259, my error. Yeah those generators are really something huge. I went inside 1288 and the generator was in the interior under a bench and its belt driven from below, I was surprised at the small size of it compared to the earlier ones. Rich if you ever come to Tulsa I would hope you could come by sometime. I will get some good pics 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 hanging mounting bracket in the pics as well as the belt and the idler and the axle mounted pulley.

 

Brake rigging details

 

Wow, those are great photos, Paul. Thank you very much. This is a great help.

Tom, thanks for the link and the photos of the model. It doesn't look like too much effort would be required to have a very close match.

Suddenly, this project is getting a lot easier.

 

Im glad the pics are useful for you guys. I love this site and am very willing to contribute any pics or info that may be useful to our Frisco friends.