# DSP&P inspired Bobber-Waycar, plus marker light mayhem



## Sampug394 (Dec 30, 2010)

Righty ho, before I begin, I'm testing an alternative to Photobucket for image hotlink hosting since I too was affected by the image hosting fallout. Imgbox is the name, and image hosting is apparently their game, so here goes...

First things first. Some time ago I traded a few things and possibly dollars to a friend to acquire his cupola-less Bachmann 'logging' style bobber caboose, which is essentially their standard bobber caboose, lacking the cupola and roofwalk boards. I have personally come to like this different style of cupola-less caboose as a self-declared bobber caboose fiend, and as such, painted said-acquired bobber into my usual style of used-but-maintained weathering to match the rolling stock on the rest of my roster.










Some time later, as a Coloradan interested in ever-fascinating Denver South Park & Pacific railroad, I came to realize that my cupola-lacking bobber looked reasonably similar to the DSP&P's earlier Waycars, which were also cupola-less and sported four windows on the side.










Realizing this, I decided it was time to convert my bobber into a similar waycar, considering I already have a heavily modified DSP&P inspired LGB mogul heading the rolling stock on my various layouts. At this same point, a dormant plan for adding working marker lights to this caboose and my cupola-having Bobber #2 came back into motion. So I went to work to accomplish both.










Disassembling the bobber, one can see the featureless curved roof on the logging bobber is actually a shell that hides the cast mounts of a normal cupola/roofwalk bobber underneath.










And now, color in spraypaint form. At first I masked the black roadname panels below the roofline, only to later realize those particular boards were the same color as the rest of the body on the DSP&P prototype. They were painted over with the next coat.










After drying, I applied a wash of weathering to the body shell to age it, removed the ladders, (regarding prototype, no roofwalks = no ladders necessary) and sealed the paint with the standard double coating of Krylon Matte Finish to finalize and protect the paint for future handling and operation.

Regarding the color, DSP&P Waycars have been depicted in both yellow and an eggshell/off-white colors, so I reasoned that hitting somewhere in between would work nicely, choosing a light yellowish-white color for the body. Since I am not modeling the exact prototype, I elected to keep the roof and chassis the same dark brown/black they are, saving me from having to paint and weather them again.



































At this point, I had already ordered LGB ball bearing axles, matching regular metal axles, USA marker lights, and ozark miniatures Link and Pin couplers, installing all while waiting for the final lengths of connector wires to arrive in the mail. I drilled small holes on the rear ends of the cabooses for the bulb wires, superglued the USA lanterns in place, and upon receiving the connecting wires, ran them through pre-cast holes on the chassis plate to the contact pins on the ball-bearing axles. Reliable, trouble-free power pickup was achieved, and the friction of the bobber's rigidly mounted axles was cut in half with the LGB ball bearings installed. (Worth the $35 for two!)










Replicating the same installation with the #2 bobber was just as easy, with quick-disconnect plugs being bound in electrical tape to avoid separation and possible shorts.










Personally I think they turned out pretty darn nice. Total cost was $95-100 for all of the parts to outfit both cabooses with track-powered marker lights.

Model railroading is fun.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I see a picture that shows the link and pin AND hook and loop... are you going to take the H&L off?

Greg 844


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## Sampug394 (Dec 30, 2010)

Unfortunately for now, the link and pin couplers are just for show since they are only glued into place, as opposed to being securely mounted with hardware. I've never actually run trains with link and pin couplings. For display purposes however, the H&L couplers can be taken off if desired.

A bit silly, but I like them as a cosmetic detail. I'd rather having couplings present where they should be on the end beams as opposed to being bare.


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## on30gn15 (May 23, 2009)

Right now, Yahoo-owned websites such as Yahoo itself, tumbler, and relevant here, flickr photo storage, are loading exceedingly slowly, if at all, or I'd show how I gave my Bachmann bobbers 3 point suspension by changing one axle holder strap.
Steps;
1.) change mounting screws from 2 at ends to 1 in middle.
2.) remove the strap and cut wide enough slots in floor from just outboard of center screw mount to original end slots.
3.) shape floor each side of center screw mount to allow axle holder strap to dip down a bit.
4.) reattach axle holder strap with center screw and leave just loose enough for strap to rock side to side a wee bit.

It makes a difference in tracking.


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