I seriously admire your dedication to accurately modeling the BN Wide Vision Caboose! The discrepancy between the rectangle and square cupola windows always bugged me too. For SUCH a popular caboose, its surprising that nobody really makes a high end model of the I.C.C. Wide Vision Caboose. The Atlas Master Line model you chose is probably the best. I've repeatedly pleaded with Athearn via mail and in person at trade shows to update their blue box era Wide Vision Caboose tooling. It would be a dream come true if they did a Genesis WV Caboose like they did for the SP Bay Window caboose - which are so spectacular I own 4 of them and I don't even really model SP! The amazing part is the $99 MSRP DCC caboose model can be bought on eBay new for $30-$45 pretty often. I actually bought 2 under $30/ea. when I saw a seller blowing out dozens of them! Anyway I love the video even though you didn't have in-progress shots, it still goes to show the work that was put in and the compromises and solutions you came up with for each, which is the real meat & potatoes of modeling IMO. (That's where a project either lives or dies in my experience, when you reach a chasm and can't come up with an acceptable solution to cross it.) I'm very jealous of this caboose! I'd love to see the finished model!!!
Suggestion, for quick assembly of parts for steps and the end rails, you have to make up jigs if you plan on doing a few of them. I've done lots of scratchbuilding over the last 40 years, and I spend more time making the jigs sometimes, than anything, but its well worth the effort if you are going to build multiple cars or locomotives.
I model the Northern Pacific and they had these WV cabooses. And, you have to ignore a lot of Athearn mis-detailing. I saw that on ShapeWays someone does offer just the cupola... for about $20!
I feel your pain, I'm going to be modeling 3 Boston and Maine cabooses, with basically the same style and a shorter wheelbase of 23 ft. same concept, with the old athearn blue box.
Really cool effort(. The rectangle cupola windows are accurate for former CB&Q waycars, many of which survived into the BN caboose refurb project.Love the project.
at 14:51 Im pretty sure that is for the caboose whistle. great job on the caboose, i have done the same with DT&I cabooses with athearn wide vision caboose kits. Yours looks better then mine though :)
I want to kitbash a SD18 for chessie system, but trying to find the offset 3 axle trucks to fit a SD7 frame is difficult not to mention my painting skills for a lack of words suck.
***** I googled bn caboose--almost all had the side windows closed off. Not sure if that was done later. I did see some that looked more like what you buy in a kit
Mr. Dan...you're quite insane (: but in a good way..fabulous effort and beautiful caboose..you should maybe be building Rolex watches. Probably pays better. Your work rocks.
this is great project. Kitbashed several PRR cabins and it was worth it.
3-Dimensional decals! Man, you find the neatest items!
Hey Dan, dadho here great work on the caboose, I know its a lot of work but it will be worth it. Also thanks for the info on the front mount bells
That's why I model the late 70s/early 80s because I love cabooses.
I seriously admire your dedication to accurately modeling the BN Wide Vision Caboose! The discrepancy between the rectangle and square cupola windows always bugged me too. For SUCH a popular caboose, its surprising that nobody really makes a high end model of the I.C.C. Wide Vision Caboose. The Atlas Master Line model you chose is probably the best.
I've repeatedly pleaded with Athearn via mail and in person at trade shows to update their blue box era Wide Vision Caboose tooling. It would be a dream come true if they did a Genesis WV Caboose like they did for the SP Bay Window caboose - which are so spectacular I own 4 of them and I don't even really model SP! The amazing part is the $99 MSRP DCC caboose model can be bought on eBay new for $30-$45 pretty often. I actually bought 2 under $30/ea. when I saw a seller blowing out dozens of them!
Anyway I love the video even though you didn't have in-progress shots, it still goes to show the work that was put in and the compromises and solutions you came up with for each, which is the real meat & potatoes of modeling IMO. (That's where a project either lives or dies in my experience, when you reach a chasm and can't come up with an acceptable solution to cross it.)
I'm very jealous of this caboose! I'd love to see the finished model!!!
+Syclone0044 You can see the finished model on our Weathering & Detailing series and in our HO Scale DCC Run-by Bonanza video right here on UA-cam.
That's what makes kit bashing fun , figureing out how to make something that's not common , but right !
Great job on the caboose!!!
Suggestion, for quick assembly of parts for steps and the end rails, you have to make up jigs if you plan on doing a few of them. I've done lots of scratchbuilding over the last 40 years, and I spend more time making the jigs sometimes, than anything, but its well worth the effort if you are going to build multiple cars or locomotives.
I model the Northern Pacific and they had these WV cabooses. And, you have to ignore a lot of Athearn mis-detailing. I saw that on ShapeWays someone does offer just the cupola... for about $20!
I feel your pain, I'm going to be modeling 3 Boston and Maine cabooses, with basically the same style and a shorter wheelbase of 23 ft. same concept, with the old athearn blue box.
Really cool effort(. The rectangle cupola windows are accurate for former CB&Q waycars, many of which survived into the BN caboose refurb project.Love the project.
at 14:51 Im pretty sure that is for the caboose whistle. great job on the caboose, i have done the same with DT&I cabooses with athearn wide vision caboose kits. Yours looks better then mine though :)
I want to kitbash a SD18 for chessie system, but trying to find the offset 3 axle trucks to fit a SD7 frame is difficult not to mention my painting skills for a lack of words suck.
I'm sure you can do it!
Unreal the amount of work necessary to make a caboose accurate for the BN. Are other non brass rolling stock offerings more accurate?
*****
I googled bn caboose--almost all had the side windows closed off. Not sure if that was done later. I did see some that looked more like what you buy in a kit
Mr. Dan...you're quite insane (: but in a good way..fabulous effort and beautiful caboose..you should maybe be building Rolex watches. Probably pays better. Your work rocks.