New caboose suggestion for Williams

[zephyr guy]

Several years ago, Bachmann made an HO caboose with a slanted copula, most all the ones I see are done with Santa Fe lettering. I have 10 of them, but repainted for my favorite RR.

This model is almost dead on for the CB&Q (Burlington) waycar (that's what the Q called 'em) class NE-12.  These waycars were painted in several paint schemes by the Q, silver with a red stripe and large logo, silver with no red stripe but with the large logo and orange with black lettering for MOW service.

Has there been any thought of bring this out in O GAUGE, don't really care what it is lettered, because I would repaint and letter several of 'em as I am changing from HO to O.

Zephyr Guy

[phillyreading]

I too want to see something besides the N5C caboose. I feel it has been produced to death! How about a bay window caboose or work caboose or bobber caboose?

What gets me is that H.O. or N scale gets all the cabooses and streetcars they could ever want and O gauge gets nothing but left-over N5c's. I hate to complain but without some new products, especially cabooses, in the O gauge line-up I feel the compition will get all the sales.

Go to Wikipedia and look up cabooses under railroads, you will see that the N5C was not the main caboose used for most major railroads. Some had N6b thru N6j class cabooses.

Lee F.

[TrainmanGene]

I agree that between the Big Three O Gauge Manufactures  wore out the N5C. It seems they don't think of the Western US Caboose. Revelle made a gorgeous  HO UP Woodside caboose in the 50s and 60s and as the SP and ATSF Caboose.  As far as Trolleys it seems that there not very popular as they were in the past but I do have my MYH PTC Trolley running it's route down Kennsington Ave but had to use New York LO-V Subway cars since the do resemble the original Philly Market St EL Cars. Maybe one day the Philly fans will luck out with a set of Subway cars in O.

[phillyreading]

How about some offset steel side cabooses or an N6b or an N52A?
LIRR had the N52A caboose design.

Lee F.

[Seaboard Air Line Fan]

I could always use another Seaboard Air Line caboose like this one I built using a MTH CA-1 cab, making new (windowless) ends, and gutters over the side windows:



There are people that model more than just ATSF, NYC, PRR, SP, and UP, so please throw us an offering once in a while.

[wmwalker]

Seaboard
Very nice looking Caboose you built. I would love to have some Seaboard Cabooses myself. I hope Williams make some and maybe a nice L&N one to. 

[r0gruth]

If I'm not mistaken,the N5c is a purely PRR cabin car.It is NOT the only PRR caboose.
The Long Island caboose mentioned above was,I think,also a PRR design.

Lionel made many Santa fe style cabooses for a long period but it appears that the N5c is the only caboose made by Williams in recent years.

[Seaboard Air Line Fan]

Thanks Wyatt!

Overall, I feel some southeastern RR cabeese would be most welcome, think ACL, L&N, SAL, SOU, FEC, A&D, MC (Mississippi Central) and many others.  There's more than a few folks with enough knowledge of what the real RR owned that could lend Bachmann a hand if asked.

[phillyreading]

Lionel made many Santa fe style cabooses for a long period but it appears that the N5c is the only caboose made by Williams in recent years.

Let's give credit where it is due! To the best of my knowledge the N5C cabose is the only caboose ever made by Williams and or Bachmann Williams in O gauge.

Lee F.

[TrainmanGene]

Williams did have a scale brass New York Central caboose around 1985 in a 4 car set. They were repros of the Pre War Lionel scale cars. And the old Kusan NE Caboose now made by RMT. I agree I would like to see some Cabooses from Southern and Western roads but if you consider the tooling costs I doubt is any manufacture would do it.

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

I too want to see something besides the N5C caboose. I feel it has been produced to death! How about a bay window caboose or work caboose or bobber caboose?

Looks like Im mostly with you phillyreading. But how about a bobber and a work caboose, With the bobber shell modified, mounted on a flat, both could be done easy as pie. Two birds, with one stone,.. and both interest me... almost as much as the portholes used to. Besides, a bay window? Real cabooses have cupolas! Bay windows are for houses!   

[phillyreading]

Lionel made bay window cabooses. K-Line made smoking cabooses.
There were transfer cabooses, and work cabooses.
These are some suggestions for Bachmann to look at so they won't go out of business because their compition has better offerings.

Lee F.

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

True the features may be more important than the style for big sales today.
Automatic color change on caboose marker lights and/or hanging lantern(s). Why isn't this a reality? It would be easy,
and still have room for a smoke unit.
Not elaborate enough for you? Not interested in a melting caboose? (when they malfunction, they often melt the sides) How about an opening door and a conductor comes out carrying a lamp? Or he could walk up and "lite" a hanging one?
It could be DCC controlled at any time, or happen automatically in reverse for the conventional folks. It would limit the caboose to facing one direction to function, but "another company" never had even a coupler on the "rear" of many of their cabooses. I think the lights would be worth the trade off... Oh, oh, Maybe a closed "rear" coupler could turn the function off too.

[SHABBONA_RR]

You guys are worried about a caboose? How about an S scale old time 4-4-0, such as the Jupitor in HO?

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

You guys are worried about a caboose? How about an S scale old time 4-4-0, such as the Jupitor in HO?

Im a bit confused, but am assuming your asking for a Jupitor in S. Well stranger things have happened, I know the pickings on new S are slim , but the real question is, how do we get it to happen? A well thought out post in general discussion would be a start for S discussion, images of what can be accomplished in S, joining, or starting a club(s), NMRA involvement, etc. People need a reason to collect or model any scale, its our job to show them a reason, otherwise we are alone, while they are...?... sailing model ships. Its how On30 did it. Layouts so original everyone wanted a piece. Maybe with the recent resurgence in S you'll get more of what you need and get some of it here too.  But back to considering O, we're talking one caboose for so many engines and cars, over so much time, I think this "port whine" sits well on our table.