Kitbashing a Bangor & Aroostook caboose

I like fun modeling projects, and when I switched to O scale a couple of years ago I thought it might be nice to have my first real "kitbash" project be a Bangor & Aroostook Railroad caboose. In real like, the BAR purchased a bunch of old troop sleeper cars after WWII for a good price and then converted them to cabooses. They were not well liked by crews because the rode poorly. The BAR had at least 16 of them on their roster, and it seems that no two were alike. There are still a few existing today, including caboose C-87 at the Frenchville Historical Society. I based my model on that caboose.

Here is the finished model:

I started with a decorated Atlas a 2-rail model, which meant I not only had to modify the body but I also had to switch out the trucks for 3-rail items. And finding those replacement trucks was the hardest part of the project.

The project involved a lot of cutting, filing, modifying, sanding, and fabricating. But, I knew going in that it would and I had a real blast doing the work. I picked this project because I like working in styrene and realized that for an O scale caboose everything would be large enough to easily see and work on.

I wrote an article about its construction for a magazine and it might be published in the future, so I won't want to get into its construction here on the blog. But, it proved to be a really fun project. The toughest part was sourcing 3-rail trucks as Atlas was out of stock for several years. But, they recently announced a new run of these cars which hopefully means that spare trucks will be available.  

Brian Inch's compact O scale layout at Springfield show

While at the recent Springfield train show last month, I made sure to stop by Brian Inch's booth in the Mallary building (Section 122). I visited his workshop in Maine in 2021 and was impressed with the amount of "New England" scenery he could fit into a small space. That isn't to say that he doesn't build larger layouts, or layout in different scales with different themes altogether. But as someone who wants a simple, oval type layout with minimal switching with the focus on realistic New England scenery, he is a good resource. 

He brought a layout for sale, and I head him say that it was built in about 2 weeks. Not bad! Even though the curves at the ends were tight, it still allowed 4-axle diesel locomotives and 40-foot freight cars to operate reliably. My layout will have 0-52 curves, so I can get away with more. 

Sadly, I left my camera on the bus and was too lazy to go back and get it so the only photos I had were taken by my wife. Still, I am grateful she did. In the middle of the layout was a sprawling farm scene complete with cows.

Since my layout will feature a farm area, I found it really useful to see what can be done in a small amount of space. 

I believe that the grain elevator is a repainted venerable Lionel 027 kit (#6-12726).

One side featured a nice bridge with the track cutting through a forest.

Is it a simple layout? It certainly is. But I found it very enjoyable to watch a train trundle around it, loop after loop. Sometimes that is all you want in life.

O scale rolling stock storage

Like every model railroader, I have more rolling stock then I can fit on my layout. Since my layout is currently only 12 feet long that isn't saying much. I enjoy modifying and weathering freight cars (I spend 10x more time doing that then actually running them) so I purchase them at train shows and online during sales. But unlike my collection of HO scale equipment which I keep in pizza boxes lined with felt, and my N scale equipment which fits in shoe boxes nicely, I needed a better method of organizing my O scale stuff.

Most of my locomotives were purchased new in boxes, and I keep those boxes to protect the expensive engines. If I need to mail them out for repair it will make the process easier. But for freight cars, I usually just rip the ends off the boxes (the ends contain information like manufacturer numbers and road numbers) and then recycle the rest. 

I found that $10 plastic storage boxes from Target (66 Quart, interior dimensions 12.5"H x 13.5"W x 19.75"L) are perfect for the job. They are clear and easy to see into, stack well, aren't very heavy, and are priced right. See here.

To keep the train cars safe, I discovered that "Savoritz" cracker boxes from Aldis are just the right length for large 60' long freight cars. Every couple of months I go to the store and pick up an empty cracker box (and sometimes load it with groceries I am actually buying), and when I get home I use a large metal yardstick and box knife to cut it down to exactly 4" tall all around. That allows me to stack three flats of freight cars in one tote.

To go between the cars, I use pieces of fluted polypropylene which looks like corrugated cardboard but is made of plastic. It can be had in 4'x8' sheets from Home Depot for about $35, but if you wait until after election day you can sometimes find it in the form of discarded and abandoned political signs by the side of the road...

That too is cut into strips about 4" tall, and then I glue cheap felt to both sides. They fit between the cars and not only cushion them but also support the next flat of cars above them. Finally, I print a contents description on a piece of paper and laminate it and slide it inside the end of the box. I sometimes write notes in Sharpie on the label, and over time if I need to change it I just print and laminate another sheet. It's very simple.

For some cars that are safe to stack, I leave the cracker box full height. 

For inexpensive 027 cars, I can fit more into the boxes and I don't bother to separate them with anything. They don't really move around anyway, and after 40-50 years they already show signs of wear.

It takes a little time to do, but I find the system works for me. My O scale collector friends have basements filled with Lionel boxes of train cars, which preserves the "collector value" but makes it impossible to see what's inside. Others have walls of train storage shelves which look gorgeous but are way out of my price range. I am happy with my approach.

Sick

I think I caught something at the train show a couple of weeks ago, and it took a while to set in. I am feeling better, but I haven't made much progress on my layout.