30' Plywood Caboose

This model of a 30 foot plywood side caboose is 100% laser cut components with custom laser scribed side and end walls, Tab & Slot and Peel & Stick construction, laser cut underframe, end platforms, ladders. end railing, and brake wheels, with cast resin platform steps, white metal smoke jack and toilet vent, and cast resin brake gear. Fully illustrated instructions provide information on painting and decaling the assembled model and several fixtures to aid the modeler in creating all the hand brakes and ladders to match the prototype. The manufacturer recommends Microscale GN decal set No. 87-757, or No. 87-285 for Big Sky Blue paint, or 87-242 for BN paint, Tahoe Model Works No. 285 swing motion caboose trucks, and Kadee No. 5 couplers and draft gear boxes to complete the model.

Cabooses served several important functions. They were the conductor’s office. The conductor made a list of cars set out at each station, which he left, along with the associated waybills, at agency stations. He also picked up a switch list from agency stations, along with the waybills for loaded cars. He made a list of all cars handled, where they came from and where they were set out that went to the car accounting clerks in St. Paul. Switching of local trains was done by the swing brakeman, or rear brakeman if no swing man. Those brakemen rode the caboose so that they and the conductor could plan the switching at the stations they would serve. Both brakemen kept a watch on the train for hotboxes, while the conductor watched the track behind the train for drag marks or cut ties which indicated some problem with the train. The caboose was equipped with a brake valve so the conductor could stop the train if necessary. The rear brakeman acted as the flagman who walked behind the train to flag down a following train if his train stopped on the main track. Finally, the caboose carried the markers, which were lanterns, flags, or lights that indicated the rear of the train.

Cabooses X 198, X 200 – X 228 and X 230 – X 249, a total of 50 cars, were built by the Great Northern between August 1941 and March 1945 at St. Cloud. When and as the vertical siding deteriorated to the point that replacing a few boards was insufficient, some cars were brought back to St. Cloud and sheathed with plywood siding.

Cars X – 216, X – 248, and X – 249, were photographed with plywood siding in caboose red paint near the end of their lives, while cars X – 198, X – 202, X – 214, X – 222, and X – 235 were photographed with plywood siding in Big Sky Blue paint, also near the end of their lives.