# East Broad Top caboose #4



## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

East meets west on the East Broad Top:










I got a good deal on an Accucraft D&RGW short caboose, so I decided that the EBT needed a new hack to bring up the rear. At first, I thought it was going to be somewhat speculative; that the EBT didn't have such a caboose. Then I dug into my research on EBT cabooses, and got a pleasant surprise.










I found this photo of a string of EBT hoppers down near Woodvale (Wood), taken c. 1913. While very fuzzy, I was able to determine that based on the known length of the hopper cars, the caboose was around 23' long over the end beams, which would make the body itself around 18' long--nearly identical to the Accucraft caboose. The cupola was a lot lower, and the windows appear to be a bit further out, but that was livable. (I did cut around 3/16" off the top of the cupola to bring it down a bit, but I wasn't in the mood to build an entirely new one. 










The other major cosmetic work came with regard to filling in the really odd lines on the end beams. A little Bondo, and no one's the wiser. I removed the D&RGW-style coupler pocket, and replaced it with a more EBT-esque block of wood, as well as replacing the couplers with a 3/4-sized coupler. 











The roof got covered with aluminum duct tape cut into rectangles to give it some texture. I just cut really narrow squares for next to the roofwalks, instead of removing them to cover underneath. 










More photos and descriptions can be found on my blog - http://tuscarorarailroad.blogspot.com . 

later,

K


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## up9018 (Jan 4, 2008)

Hey Kevin, Great looking Caboose!!! 

Chris


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Nice work, and great photography too (as usual)!


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Kevin, is that Vance on the back of the crummy? I'll go look on your blog to see if you talk about the terrific weathering job! Looks like it was done darn near plank by plank! Hey wait, through the marvels of modern multitasking I can open up another window and...

Well, what you wrote there is interesting, but kind of a tease!

"The idea was to give the caboose a well used, not-quite-neglected-but-definitely-an-afterthought look to it--with much heavier weathering than what I have given my other cabooses. " 


Okay, you succeeded. but inquiring hobos want to know _how? _


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

but inquiring hobos want to know _how?_ 

A mixture of drybrushing and washes. I painted the caboose the base red, then went through with some tannish-grey (Folk-Art "Barnwood") paint, and drybrushed that here and there to simulate peeling and worn paint. I was a bit more rigorous on the cupola than on the body itself with this, as the cinders and coal dust mixed with the water, became acidic, and really did a number on the painted wood. The cupola would have been far more exposed to that than the sides or ends. The Accucraft caboose had some degree of wood grain molded into the plastic, but I accentuated it with 60-grit sandpaper as well. In some places, I lightly drybrushed the paint to simulate really worn paint, in others, I just stippled it to look more like flaked paint. 

Once that dried, I washed everything with diluted acrylic paints, a mixture of black and brown with a bit of grey to look, well, just grimy. The EBT was a coal-hauling railroad, and black coal dust got everywhere. I washed that over the sides, then went through here and there with a paper towel to wipe some of the excess off here, a little more there, and a little less elsewhere. That's what gives the variations over the side. It's settled down into the cracks and crevasses pretty much everywhere, but it's a bit heavier around the bottom where it would settle as the dust washed down the side in the rain, etc. The key was to not make it too even. 

The roof was washed with a similar wash, though it was a bit more brown than black, since the base color was black to begin with. I wanted to simulate a bit of rust and rusty run-off, being that it's a metal roof. The grab irons, etc. are painted black, then drybrushed with silver paint where they'd be worn from use, then followed up with drybrushing and washing brown paint for rust. I then went in and hand-painted particular areas like the soot run-off from the smokejack and rust patches on the ends of the roof at the ladders, etc. 

The wood buffers over the couplers are actually _just_ painted with a dilute brown paint. I did most of the painting prior to installing the couplers, so the buffers were added later. They're just strips of Evergreen styrene, sanded with 60-grit sandpaper for texture. I was going to paint them red then weather them, but was weathering the couplers and accidentally got some on the white styrene. It looked so good I left it as is. I want to do some more playing around with that technique. 

Later, 

K


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## Jim Agnew (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice job Kevin.


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

That looks just like the real thing. I don't weather my trains, but that is one of the best jobs I have ever seen. It really looks old. Nicely done.
Paul


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Great job Kevin. Very realistic looking and great details.


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice job...my kinda caboose.This thread is going into my "saved article" collection...cause it's got some good technique stuff in it. Stuff I hadn't seen before...especially the end beam treatment...and that really looks good.


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Great job, Kevin. Very, very nicely done.....


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the painting/weathering tips, Kevin. I'll practice them on my 'guinea pig' Bachmann boxcar.. but I have the feeling I won't achieve your level of competence, not to say artistry, for oh.. say, the first couple dozen.. years?

Beautiful job!


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Whooeee!! That weathering job turned out great!! Bravo!


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## ORD23 (Jan 2, 2010)

A beaut Kev! The East Broad Top appears to be painted on. Care to share how you did it? 

Ed


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Great looking caboose Kevin. Your talents and instructions are a wonderful addition to the hobby. Keep them coming.

Doc


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

Well Done Kevin! That is one great looking hack!


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

The East Broad Top appears to be painted on. Care to share how you did it? 

Dry transfers. I like them better than decals for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that they lend themselves very well to being applied then lightly sanded off to look worn. 

I drew up artwork for all three "generations" of EBT lettering, and had custom dry transfers produced from that artwork. It's not exactly the most inexpensive way to letter your equipment, but getting multiple cars per negative, it becomes a bit more reasonable. It wouldn't be my first choice a one-off like a single locomotive. The transfers are now available through the  Friends of the EBT Company Store. They sell for $22 for a set, which will do two cars. (FEBT members get a 15% discount.) The lettering is designed specifically for the hopper cars (both Bachmann's 2-bay and Rich Yoder's and soon Accucraft's 3-bay hoppers) but the same lettering is used on all of the EBT's freight equipment. All proceeds go to the FEBT's restoration efforts. 

Later, 

K


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

VERY NICE. I really like your weathering.


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