This will be a continuation of the 2025 MIK where I built the first car in a circus train for my grandson. Since its a whimsical theme what could be more whimsical than a crazy clown caboose.
I haven’t quite decided if it will be a kitbash of a bobber or a scratch build. Leaning toward a full scratch build.
So Bachmann has a few animated cars. This one, Christmas car, has 4 Reindeer mounted on a floating pivot arm. When it moves down the track, the Reindeer bob in and out of the windows.
4 clowns bobbing in and out of the windows?
Interesting idea and goes along with one animation i already have in mind which im keeping a secret for now. But it could be incorporated if I can figure out how to do it. I’ve never done anything quite like that.
buy one
investigate it
break it
replace it by home made copy…
(but that might be above the budged)
Looking forward to the clown caboose build, Devon. You’ve set a high bar for yourself, I’m not sure you can get a bigger smile than the one on Everett’s face with the boxcar from last year 
There is no special drive, just a plastic arm mounted on a pivot in the middle of the car. The arm is balanced, so the rocking of the moving car, the animals/clowns move in and out of the windows.
I understand the concept but connecting the drive to a figure would be a new challenge.
Dan, all I care about is a one year latter smile. He’s a great kid and he is obsessed with trains. They live close to the UP tracks and he gets excited every time he hears the horn.
Turbo,
Thats the not so big secret. I want to make slightly offset wheel sets so the entire caboose rocks without uncouplling. Taking current wheel sets and drilling offset holes so the whole thing wobbles asymmetrical. But not so violent it uncouples using hook and loop couplers. If I can put a drive gear on an axel, which runs true compared to the journals. If I can put a drive wheel on an axel to an eccentric gear in the cab then it should be easy to attach a figure that pops in and out.
No promises but its on the radar
Wayne, I might give it a try. A simple design would be a clown that lays down and sits up on the cat walk
Be curious to see how many clowns fit inside it 
Go for it!
A few years back I tried to list a bunch of creepy clown ideas for cars. Don’t have it anymore, but opportunities abound, depending on where on the spectrum of tame vs. creepy you want your clowns to fall.
For example, a Jack-in-the-box could be normal clown springing out of a boxcar when triggered, or same but with just the head (a la Twilight Zone’s “Corn Field” episode. Sound card (e.g., screams) optional.
OK, I sense I’m probably off track here… 
Got off to a very lack luster start. I got nothing done on weekend one.
Well if I was doing clowns for an A.W.N.U.T.S. build, I would probably do “Pennywise” and his partner “Dollarfoolish.” 
The idea I had for this car, and since I blew one whole weekend, was to make sculpy clowns to hang out the windows and maybe one on the platform.
One thing I am trying to keep in mind is this is for a 4 year old. A lot of fiddly bits wouldn’t be good.
Devon, maybe you can swing something like this for the figures, and focus on the car stuff?
Cliff that would be more durable than sculpy
Not exactly what I’d call extensive progress. However, the side frames will probably be the part that takes the longest to make. I am taking 12 gauge romex wire and stripping out each solid wire. Then hammering it flat. I have some brass stock that I will use for the journals, and then some flat copper sheet material for the journal “plates”(???) Not sure what those pieces of cast iron are that the journal rides up and down on and also bolts to the wood frame. But at any rate this will be all fabricated out of brass and copper I have on hand and soldered together. Then attached to the wooden frame.
Really wish I had made that resistance soldierer about now. Gonna be tough to get it all attached. Without loosing pieces already attached. I think I have a plane to hold it all down with clamps and soldier it all at once. Unless someone has another idea on how to soldier a bunch of pieces together without melting the soldier already attaching other pieces.
Devon, no clue about the soldering, but, for the figures, hit EBAY and look for PLAYMOBIL circus stuff. Some of it, like LGB, has collector prices. Others go in reasonable lots. The stuff lasts forever, and it is fun for kids, too!
Eric
