# De-bobbing a bobber. An easy beginner bash.



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

If there is a Rodney Dangerfield of large scale rolling stock, it's probably the Bachmann bobber caboose. Nearly everybody has at least one. Very few people actually run them. Let's face it, the design hasn't really been updated in 20 some odd years -- the thing came out with the original battery op Big Hauler! It doesn't track worth a darn, especially on R-1 curves. It rolls pretty stiff. It hangs up on stuff that everything else clears just fine. And to top it off, the cupola is just plain goofy looking. I rather doubt many people would even object if you stuck a cherry bomb in one and blew it up... unless they got hit with the pieces.

Rather than blow mine up, I decided to take it out of the junk box and see if I could actually FIX it up to go with the Mallet. I made one into a side door logging caboose a while back. This time I'll do a simpler bash that even a beginner shouldn't be too afraid to try.


First step is to separate the cabin from the frame. There's two clips on each end that hold it together. Then you need to pull the wheelsets, and remove the metal bolsters (two screws going down through hold each one to the floor). Then you cut away the sideframes between the steps about halfway up. I used a Dremel with a cutoff disc, it only takes about 3 minutes. I had a junk Bachmann freight car underframe that I cut the truck bolsters out of. If you don't have something like that, a couple bits of 3/8" x 1/2" basswood will work just fine. Here's the frame with the bolsters installed, and one truck set in place to check clearances.










The interior on these things is a great big empty. I decided I wanted to add a somewhat detailed one, even though nobody will really see it. The floor boards are just coffee stirrers cut to length with sprue nippers and glued down with contact cement. I'll paint them raw umber to look more like a hardwood floor.










I had some plastic LGB caboose interior parts, so I used them. You don't need to buy stuff, though. The basic shapes can be made from styrene sheet, wood, or even index cards!










As an example, here's a Lehmann Toytrain interior I did a couple years ago with parts made from cardstock. Once it was painted and assembled, it looked quite acceptable.










One of the most annoying things about putting an interior in a B'mann bobber is that the roof is cast one piece with the sides, so you have to install everything upside down. This pic shows the crew bunks made from basswood and coffee stirrers, and a sconce lamp that I scratchbuilt from a wooden axle cap, a clear plastic bead, and a bit of tube. As you can also see, I cut the vertical muntins out (just to make it look different), added clear mylar glazing, 'framed" the doors with coffee stirrers, and slopped on some interior green. -- I will glue the stove to the floor before reassembling it, and maybe build a chair for the conductor's desk (out of view on the other side) -- adding a coffee cup, water jug, and stack of trainorders to the desk are optional. I have them, so I'll probably use them, hopefully they'll show through the window. 











That's it for tonight. I'll post a bit more tomorrow!


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I've thought about unbobbing my aristo one. I do have an extra set of trucks.


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Nice work so far! Looks like a fun project. Keep us posted!


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Mik,

Glad to see another inexpensive 'how-to'. 

I do have a question concerning the tracking ? roadibility ? of the original. You indicated it fell off the rails a lot. Was it an 8 wheeler, or a 4? Since most of my rolling stock will be 4-wheel, I'd like to know if there's something peculiar to this caboose, or are 2 axle cars sorta prone to that?

Keep up the good work.

Les


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

The problem with them is that they have 4 wheels with a lot of overhang and a body mount coupler, and the rest of B'mann's Bug Mauler stuff (and others American style cars) has 8 wheels with targa couplers.... Sooo, the caboose coupler tries to go wide to the outside of the curve, while the targa one on whatever car it is coupled to wants to stay much closer to centered. The usual result of this is either a LOT of bind and unnecessary drag, or something (car, caboose or both) bumping along on the ties until it hooks on the scenery or falls over. It's just bad geometry in the design, especially with knuckle couplers, hook and loops are more forgiving, MOST of the time.


Later on I will show you how to change this thing over to a targa set up....even with the overhang. The other option would be to change the cars to body mount couplers (more prototypical, but too much like work)


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Thanks for the fast reply. 

I'm going to use link 'n pin couplers. Fits my time frame better.


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## RonTeten (Feb 15, 2008)

Neat Bash and Nice work!!


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I do have a question concerning the tracking ? roadibility ? of the original

Most 4-wheel cars are too rigid for garden tracks. Compare the Bobber, if you have one, with the floppy plastic trucks on the 8-wheel cars. 

One 'proper' solution is the equalize the car by making one axle pivot about the center of the car, so the wheels can go up/down relative to the fixed axle. I did one years ago and it wasn't too tricky - as Mik says, it has metal frames holding the wheels. I think I cut away around it and fastened it in the center with a small bolt so it could rock. 

As Mik says, the body-mounted couplers also cause problems if you have tight curves.


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Torby, the Aristo Craft Bobber makes an easier transition to 4 wheel trucks since the side frames merely unscrew from the frame. I've done two and not until I was doing the second caboose did I realize I'd forgotten to install the steps which are attached to the side frames. So a quick removal of the steps with a saw and a little glue put the steps back in place. I used small washers as spacers between the frame and the trucks to get the correct height. 










Les, the 4 wheel Bachmann caboose I have seem to like taking a quick dip in the pool or hot tube as it traveled by. The track wasn't level as it came off the pool deck onto the hot tube rim and the caboose would always jump the track. My frt cars with two axle trucks had no problem with this. 


















Randy


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Thanks for the heads up. I had considered 'stiffness' in detail, but as applied to the 'triangle' suspension in locos. There was quite a good discussion on that more than a year ago. I hadn't gone so far as to consider 2 axle cars. What I had been mulling over was springing each axle at both ends in journals, but I'm not far enough into building rolling stock to pose the question. Slots in the journal allowing axle travel in the vertical plane only, and stabilized by a bowed leaf spring (flat spring) arching between the wheels like an old Model A Ford have the attraction of simplicity. Several cars I have use the outside 'fixed' journal approach.

I'm very close to actually having my workshop finished and perhaps can start doing something very soon.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Randy,

Thanks for the photos and additional information. I got a chuckle out of the sunken one.

As it turns out, eccentric that I am, I like 2-axle cars better than four, which is lucky for me because my radii will all be as tight as possible.

I want link and pin, which means I've got to sit down and 'study out' just how tight I can go. I've been advised that I can probably get away with 16" radius curves using 0-4-0's and 2 axle 20' cars, and slow speed. I've got to check this out in the real world, howsumever. And I intend to weight all my cars with lead, just enough to give 'em some mass and stop the bouncing around. A few ounces at best. For the short consists I want, that'll be good enough.

Les


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Les, adding weight might have allowed the caboose to track better as it is rather light.

Randy


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Les, 
You can go fairly tight curves, the closer your wheels are to the ends of the car the better. 
Use a solid drawbar/link between the cars w/ a hole in each end for the pins. Make them just long enough to keep the cars from touching when coupled on your tightest curve. 
Look for; Pedestal Journals for your axles. 

John


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Okay, I fibbed. I didn't post progress on Saturday, mostly because there WASN'T any. 

I also promised I'd show Les how I made the targa couplers a custom length. That I'll do now. It's simply a bit of .060 x 1/4" brass cut to length and drilled. BUT not only can you set the length where you want, you can bend it to adjust the height as well. Fast, cheap, simple and sturdy... just how I like it.










The cupola. What can I say? It simply doesn't "go" with the rest of the car. Too modern looking. It belongs on a larger steel caboose, not a wood bobber. Straight sides would help, but would probably make for more clearance headaches, I also didn't feel like making a scratchbuilt one. I did have a bit of extra siding that I cut away in the last bash, so I glued it to the inside of the cupola to blank out the center window. Then I added sunshades.... and mylar window 'glass'. And a Lionel fireman modified into the sitting position to keep an eye on the train.










The almost finished conversion. My numbering system says it SHOULD have a 3xx number... but I mangled the decal on the first side, and #11 was all I had a pair of. The custom decals are by Stan Cedarleaf, good guy, good product! These truck sideframes still look weird to me, like Blomberg diesel trucks or interurban trucks, but there they'll stay for now.










Two ex-unloved Bachmann bobbers. Identical except for roadnames when I started. Two distinctly different personalities now.


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## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Mik,

Thanks for the pixes. I think I remember when you did the green one. One day I want to build one like it.

The coupler neck is a good idea, especially for height adjustment. That's one thing I'm going to have to find out, what the 'accepted' height of a L & P coupler is. Not ready to start on any rolling stock, yet. Today, I'm going to start on the stub switch.

Les


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## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice job on the bash









I thought about getting one to bash into a Silverton Northern caboose. 


But after comparing the model to the prototype, there seemed to be too much work involved. Especially if it was just going to be a static display piece for use on the abandoned line section of our layout.


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