We had our 1/8th scale caboose lettered a couple of weeks ago by a sign painter. All hand-painted, no decals or vinyl used. Got my camera out yesterday to get some close-ups of the caboose coupled with the 1903 wood gondola. Found the 1/8th scale corn husker and stationary steam engine at a toy store about 25 years ago and decided to use them in these photos
and we call our little toys “largescale”…
that is simply overhelming.
Nice touch with the brass sign on the end.
Great looking caboose Gary. When are you taking it out to run? It would be nice to see your entire train. I would love to start building something in this scale but I’d have to sell off my “G” scale to do it. Of course I could us my CNC Router to cut things out. Hey maybe there’s a new business there I haven’t realized.
Chuck
Chuck Inlow said:
Great looking caboose Gary. When are you taking it out to run? It would be nice to see your entire train. I would love to start building something in this scale but I’d have to sell off my “G” scale to do it. Of course I could us my CNC Router to cut things out. Hey maybe there’s a new business there I haven’t realized.
Chuck
Thanks for the comments Chuck :). This hobby needs more folks like you, willing to make detail parts for the ride-on stuff.
I have quite a few photos of the train, but not of the complete train. I still need to order some ties for my aluminum rail and make some “snap-track” for this scale! Need to make a track for taking photos!
Actually building in 1/8th scale is not that expensive. It’s all relative of course. If you have a lathe and and a wood shop, it would be easy and inexpensive for you to build a car identical to mine. The greatest expense are the trucks. The trucks are available now in kit form. Here is a link to Allen Models of Nevada, based in Gardnerville (NOT that far from you).
http://allenmodels.com/index.php/trucks/arch-bar-truck-kit-387.html
You can see the price per truck with this configuration. I took off the bar stock for axles (you can buy that at any steel supply house near you). I also removed the frame pieces for the arch bar trucks (also removed simple bar stock steel and YOU can bend to shape according to the print and drill the holes…just simple drill press work). The bearings for the axles are available off the shelf. Buy the wheel castings and turn them on a small lathe or find a local machinist to do it for a “six-pack”. Heck, I’ll do it for next to nothing just to get you started. You just pay the postage!
The body is just scrap plywood I had around the shop. You can now buy ready to mount caboose handrails for about $1.50 each or make your own from 1/8 welding rod! The automatic couplers are available from Tom Bee in Michigan for $60/pair ready to run.
OK, your move. 
It’s a whole new world when you can RIDE your trains.
EDIT: BTW, I have the new prints for these trucks, so you don’t need that either.
A couple of photos for you.
This was taken last January at the LALS facility. My 35 yr. old Baldwin Westinghouse electric is at the head and my son’s NEW Baldwin (I am building seven of these now) is MU’ed. The gondola is a 6 ft. long steel gondola I purchased a year or two ago from West Bend Railcar in WI. Paid $650 W/O trucks, but including automatic couplers. The reefer I made about 30 years ago. The end castings were purchased (still available for about $80 each). We were doing a “trial run” on the MU system that day.
My son is the engineer on this train. Three Baldwin electric MU’ed with a good-sized train. Three of the cars are mine and a couple belong to the club. Also another day doing a “trial run” checking the amperage draw with three engines MU’ed. Those three locomotives are a little over 1/2 ton in weight, plus the passengers and the other rolling stock. Fairly good load.
Beautiful work all round!
tac
OVGRS
Wow! Well done!
That is really cool. Almost makes me want to build one. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-foot-in-mouth.gif)
Thanks for the nice comments folks (Korm, Ken Brunt, Chuck, tac, Lou, Bruce, et al).
To Bruce,
There is a backstory that goes with this little caboose and how it was even built in the first place…
I went to work for my Dad and his partner back in 1977, sinking forging dies (machining the dies). One day in that year, I was working on a machine doing the machine work and my Dad’s partner walked up to me and asked if I would like to go with him (as a charity function) up to Seymour Johnson’s estate in Montecito, CA and visit his 7-1/2 inch gauge layout. At that time, it was difficult to get invited to that place as ONLY private members were allowed on the property. Special deal to go. Anyway that visit put the bug in us to “maybe” build a steam engine in that scale.
I started this caboose on a whim to give our oldest and her sister (b. 1980 AND BTW, that little girl in the photo below is HER daughter!)) a caboose to push each other around in our backyard. Well, my Dad got involved and helped me with some of the details and tips on how to scale an HO plastic caboose and turn it into a 1/8th scale riding caboose. In the early going, we used some trucks my Dad had made for us kids back in the late forties and early fifties, for a backyard railroad HE made. I believe it was 10 inch gauge and definitely homemade! Actually the car you see in these photos STILL has part of the metal frame underneath that belonged to the gondola my Dad made back in the fifties!
My Dad and I completed the car in September 1980. To Ken’s comment about the “nice touch” with the brass plaque, my Dad had it engraved noting when completed, who built it and who it was made for (Janet & Laura, our two daughters). Well, the “bug” really bit when we purchased two 1-1/2 inch Gene Allen ten-wheelers (my Dad and I for one AND my Dad’s partner for the second). It’s been nothing but fun ever since. Lots more homemade rolling stock, a steam engine and several Baldwin/Westinghouse box cab electrics. Now my grandkids call me "Grandpa Choo-Choo and my granddaughter now has the “bug”.
Photo taken at this years LALS 60th Anniversay Meet in May. A fourth generation in the hobby now.
Gary Armitstead said:
To Ken’s comment about the “nice touch” with the brass plaque, my Dad had it engraved noting when completed, who built it and who it was made for (Janet & Laura, our two daughters).
I thought that’s what it might be for as I saw the Janet and Laura, but the rest was indistinguishable with the reflections. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
