This is the Part 1 of a remake of an Atlas-O standard cupola caboose that will be converted into a shoving platform. My base model was painted and pad printed for a Wheeling & Lake Erie unit that was built in 1964, rebuilt, and most recently inspected in 1991, so it fits perfectly in my proto-freelance era.
The caboose came with powered trucks that fed a lighted interior and rear marker light. I removed the shell, stripped the interior details out, and plan to eventually install an ESU Loksound 5 FX decoder to control the marker light and a penny whistle for grade crossings. One of the neat characteristics of a caboose used on shove moves is the unique sound of the single-tone penny whistle. This also gives me an excuse to use one of my favorite Modelu conductor figures on the open platform.
I chose this caboose for its style, but also because it was already painted red which is the color my proto-freelance line uses for its livery. I used VMS Clean Slate rmvr 3.0 to remove the center pad printed graphics on both sides of the car. Even though the paint was removed, the areas still showed a raised outline. This is okay because the car will eventually be significantly weathered, and having some of the remnant of its previous life showing through is an added bonus.
Next, I measured all the open windows except for one, and laser cut cover panels for each out of Polybak (laserboard). The panels were sprayed with the same Tamiya red, and applied to each window using Gator’s Grip glue.
After over spraying some Tamiya Gloss X-7 Red on both side center panels, I applied Paint Creek & Waterville decals including the line’s graphic slogan, ”The Trout Route,” and a car number. The entire car will eventually be flood coated with VMS Gloss and Matte Varnish HD which should hide the decal’s edges.
In Part 2, I will start the weathering process which will involve multiple layering.
