# Cabeese bashes



## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I've been looking for a 1:29 caboose to tow behind the aristo 0-4-0 I just finished. USAT makes a good center cab caboose, but it's pricey, and I decided to work with stuff I had sitting around. 

On the left below is a failed effort, an MDC caboose, which was originally in 1:24. It looked much too big to me, so I decided to try to cut it down in height. I ended up with a bad cut line, much too visible, and plus it looks much too top heavy. I could not figure a good way to cut the cupola down.


On the right is an aristo track cleaning caboose, with the cupola from an old LGB bobber caboose. I cut the LGB cupola down in two dimensions, and it seems to work pretty well. The two figures are 1:30 figures from the well-known ebay seller from Hong Kong.


Now I'm trying to decide if I should keep the one on the right as a track cleaner, or find a way to add two axles trucks. It needs to be lettered too. Any thoughts?


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By lownote on 27 Apr 2012 07:39 AM 
I've been looking for a 1:29 caboose to tow behind the aristo 0-4-0 I just finished. USAT makes a good center cab caboose, but it's pricey, and I decided to work with stuff I had sitting around. 

On the left below is a failed effort, an MDC caboose, which was originally in 1:24. It looked much too big to me, so I decided to try to cut it down in height. I ended up with a bad cut line, much too visible, and plus it looks much too top heavy. I could not figure a good way to cut the cupola down.


On the right is an aristo track cleaning caboose, with the cupola from an old LGB bobber caboose. I cut the LGB cupola down in two dimensions, and it seems to work pretty well. The two figures are 1:30 figures from the well-known ebay seller from Hong Kong.


Now I'm trying to decide if I should keep the one on the right as a track cleaner, or find a way to add two axles trucks. It needs to be lettered too. Any thoughts?





















Mike,

Great bashes on the cabeese! I'm a NG person at heart, but I believe some 2-axle trucks on the bobber would really give it a "beefy" look to go with your 0-4-0.







JMHO


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Mike 

I used the Aristo Bobber caboose and added 4 wheel trucks. 

 

I haven't done any additional detailing as my main objective was to add the 4 wheel trucks


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Was adding 4 wheel trucks hard to do? What do you do for bolsters?


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

The first caboose I did, was quite simple in that I drilled two holes in the floor and use a screw and lock nut with plastic washers to get the right height for the caboose sitting on the trucks. You can see the two white washers in the photo above. Grude but it works. 

The second caboose I did this to, I used the bolsters off the Piko caboose I bought for the trucks. I bought 5 or 6 of the Piko cabooses off ebay for the trucks. Some I got for less than 10 bucks each. I had to cut some of the detailing out of the way on the bottom of the bobber, so it doesn't all that great if you look at the bottom, but unless the caboose rolls onto it's side or top, no one will see a thing.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

I generally use 1/2 inch basswood for the bolster and 3/8 or 1/4 inch basswood for any bracing. I epoxy these timbers to the underside of the caboose. Once I have the trucks test-mounted, I paint the basswood to match the underside of the caboose - usually black. You can just see the basswood in the photo below.










Yours,
David Meashey


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks --both methods sound good

it turns out that the rails/ladder from the MDC caboose fit almost perfectly


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