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ACL Caboose


stock_2007

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If you want a representation of a particular road's caboose you can usually find something (although a Southern caboose in N does tend to be an issue). If you want something that matches a particular prototype you may have to build a kit or modify an RTR caboose. I don't know the ACL prototypes, so I'm not sure if there is an RTR match (or a 'close enough').

 

The Revell one doesn't appear to be particularly close to an ACL prototype, but it would probably make an acceptable stand-in.

 

Adrian

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I'm not sure I like the sound of that, I already have one or two half made kits that were designed for the 'more serious modeller' which is a nice way of saying "no way your going to finish it"

We'll have to think this over :O

 

Didn't mean to put the fear of God in you!  I've built better resin kits and I've built much worse resin kits.  There's a couple of issues with the Wright M5....the first of which is sparse instructions.  Second is their idea for mounting couplers I found to be weak; it's fine if your caboose will just roll along on the back of a train but if you plan to actually pull on the caboose (think shunting moves) it's inadequate.  Third is that apparently the cupola is not tall enough; Bob Harpe shimmed it up with 0.060" styrene.  You'll need the Microscale ACL caboose set 87-976...and for the barricade/wasp stripes on the back of the stepwells I think I used an N scale Central of Georgia set...which I cannot find on the Microscale page now.

 

But if you're not a complete resin kit greenhorn, the kit is buildable...you'll use a lot of ingenuity though!  I chose to sell my unbuilt kits when I was able to get a couple of Overland brass cabs for a reasonable price.  But the M5 positively screams ACL/SCL/Family Lines railroading.  I've attached some photos of M5s in ACL, SCL and Family Lines liveries; note the cupola side windows on ACL 0641 - those were called 'sealed' windows and were only on the first batch or two of M5s; the center opening windows seen on the other cabs were used after that and all the sealed window cupolas were subsequently converted.

 

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If you decide to go with the Wright M-5 there is a very nice article in the second Seaboard-Coast Line Modeler.  35 pages of proto photos and step by step instructions on assembling the the kit.  The first twenty issues are available on a CD, well worth the $20, the CD has around 2000 pages of material.

 

http://s-clmodeler.aclsal.org/index.htm

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  • 8 months later...

I have a non prototypical North Eastern Caboose for $10 plus postage from the states post-18794-0-23902100-1437879297.jpgby Proto 2000 that I would like to sell.  I believe that it would suit your needs.

 

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  • 2 months later...

Good till the ACL/SAL merger in July 1967. There-after consult photos. Some cabs retained pre-merger lettering for a year.

 

Slightly off topic, but if you are modelling SAL/SCL/Family Lines, I just found a pretty good article on SAL/SCL International Steel Cabooses. It was in Diesel Era v3n3 (May/June 1992). 7 pages with lots of b&w photos and a couple of drawings. Three colour photos on the back cover (Seaboard red, Family Lines orange, Family Lines grey). For reference, the magazine also has articles on Conrail's SD50 fleet, UP's Los Angeles servicing facility, the GE C30-7, and some NYC photos from Battle Creek, MI in the 1950s.

 

Adrian

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