An old bash; from caboose to maintenance crew car

Paulus

Paulus

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Some pictures from a ToyTrain caboose I bashed somewhere around 2012. It was described on the Continental Garden Trains forum which is unfortunately no longer active since several years now. :oops:

But perhaps it is nice to post it here as well. Just show some pictures of the build. When interested some more info about this can be found on my blog. Or just ask here ;-)

This is how it looked like at the start:

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And how it looks like now, after 7 years:

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Some more pictures:

Maintenance crew car

Maintenance crew car

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...

Maintenance crew car

Maintenance crew car

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...

Maintenance crew car

Maintenance crew car

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...

Maintenance crew car

Maintenance crew car

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...

Slightly weathered sidings

Slightly weathered sidings

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...

Platform weathered

Platform weathered

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...
 
Paulus said:
Some more pictures:

Maintenance crew car

Maintenance crew car

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...

Maintenance crew car

Maintenance crew car

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...

Maintenance crew car

Maintenance crew car

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...

Maintenance crew car

Maintenance crew car

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...

Slightly weathered sidings

Slightly weathered sidings

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...

Platform weathered

Platform weathered

https://www.gscalecentral.net/threads/an-old-bash-from-caboose-to-maintenance-crew-car.313916/...
Click to expand...
Clearly been doing lots of useful service along the Years. Interesting that the Roof (made of plastic?) has deformed a little. Just like my ToyTrain Van conversion that I had to make a Roof for. Must re-visit my thing and perhaps make a better roof out of Wood with proper intermediate supports. Another job to do!
 
dunnyrail said:
Clearly been doing lots of useful service along the Years. Interesting that the Roof (made of plastic?) has deformed a little. Just like my ToyTrain Van conversion that I had to make a Roof for. Must re-visit my thing and perhaps make a better roof out of Wood with proper intermediate supports. Another job to do!
Click to expand...

Yes indeed it was made of styrene. It has a top layer of fine sanding paper that back than looked very nice. But now the paper is wrinkled. Perhaps that caused the deformation. See below a picture of the roof for the caboose. Supports and 3 layers of thin styrene.

How do you make your wooden roofs? I lately made one from 3 thin layers of balsa on supports but I think this could deform too, perhaps due to moist etc. Perhaps better when it is a solid roof?

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Paulus said:
Yes indeed it was made of styrene. It has a top layer of fine sanding paper that back than looked very nice. But now the paper is wrinkled. Perhaps that caused the deformation. See below a picture of the roof for the caboose. Supports and 3 layers of thin styrene.

How do you make your wooden roofs? I lately made one from 3 thin layers of balsa on supports but I think this could deform too, perhaps due to moist etc. Perhaps better when it is a solid roof?

S5005659modified.jpg
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I tend to use Coffee Stirrers or Cut Wooden Slices. Because this roof is from a Box Motor that is all made from Coffee Stirrers I used them On the roof as well. As you can see I used Formers and glued the Stirrers on using copious amounts of Wood 2 part Filler along the way that Sands down nicely. The Top has been covered with Kitchen Roll with just one Joint though I think that 3 Pieces would have been better to represent Roofing Material. The resultant Roll is glued on with with PVA full strength then later once dry another coat of slightly Sloppy PVA. Sprayed Matt Black with Car Paint. It is a loose fit with Cross Bearers on the inside matching the inner cross pieces to give a good firmish fit, well good enough for normal running anyway. I wanted the Roof removable to get at the insides which are. batteries and Battery Control gear. Somewhere on the Forum is a write up about the beast ’Coffee Stirrer‘ should find it.E4F3D7A5-0CF5-4684-86F1-EBBD0EA2CFE5.jpegimage.jpg
 
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Done something similar myself.

An LGB US style caboose, with a cupola roof and centre buffers which I brought second hand with some other European LGB wagons.

I replaced the roof with another flat one, and spayed it yellow ( from red) to work with my maintenance fleet as a Mess & Tool vehicle.

I don't have a photo of it to hand, but most of these wagons are bashed to work with it....

2017-11-07 11.03.29.jpg
 
dunnyrail said:
I tend to use Coffee Stirrers or Cut Wooden Slices. Because this roof is from a Box Motor that is all made from Coffee Stirrers I used them On the roof as well. As you can see I used Formers and glued the Stirrers on using copious amounts of Wood 2 part Filler along the way that Sands down nicely. The Top has been covered with Kitchen Roll with just one Joint though I think that 3 Pieces would have been better to represent Roofing Material. The resultant Roll is glued on with with PVA full strength then later once dry another coat of slightly Sloppy PVA. Sprayed Matt Black with Car Paint. It is a loose fit with Cross Bearers on the inside matching the inner cross pieces to give a good firmish fit, well good enough for normal running anyway. I wanted the Roof removable to get at the insides which are. batteries and Battery Control gear. Somewhere on the Forum is a write up about the beast ’Coffee Stirrer‘ should find it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your technique! Looks firm. Have not thought about this way of constructing a roof before (I always think in sheets somehow...)
Did you use one layer of stirrers or more layers? How does the stirrers and Paper Roll top hold up in moist weather? No bending if the stirrers?

Is this the box motor you mentioned? Love it!

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Gizzy said:
Done something similar myself.

An LGB US style caboose, with a cupola roof and centre buffers which I brought second hand with some other European LGB wagons.

I replaced the roof with another flat one, and spayed it yellow ( from red) to work with my maintenance fleet as a Mess & Tool vehicle.

I don't have a photo of it to hand, but most of these wagons are bashed to work with it....
Click to expand...

Great looking work train! I like what you did with the ToyTrain crane.
 
like the looks of the redone caboose, great repurpose of old stuff, when I built Rosy's caboose for my sugar cane train I built the sides using a broken Bachmann combine car parts but I glued styrene strips on the side much like your roof coffee sticks, Florida doesn't like wood, thanks for the share, BillRosy caboose needs a bath.JPG
 
Paulus said:
Thanks for sharing your technique! Looks firm. Have not thought about this way of constructing a roof before (I always think in sheets somehow...)
Did you use one layer of stirrers or more layers? How does the stirrers and Paper Roll top hold up in moist weather? No bending if the stirrers?

Is this the box motor you mentioned? Love it!

56936_53554b8d03c492bfe6eb5b920ed72256.jpg
Click to expand...
Yes that is the one, in this (the roof pictures) one you can make out how the one layer had Overlaps. The gaps and ridges must have been filled with Wood Filler and sanded down to make a smooth curved surface. All done quite a while back now, pre 2011 I think. I used my Belt Sander for this Heavy Sanding finishing off with a Block and lighter Grip Paper. All some time ago now. The cover was dosed with External Grade PVA which helps with Shower Proofing, but I would not leave it out in the Rain. However a trip indoors on the line if it started to rain while running would cause no problems.

cutting up Longer Strips or using Aircraft Type Stripwood is a better bet with the same technique. Hope this helps.
 
Bill Barnwell said:
like the looks of the redone caboose, great repurpose of old stuff, when I built Rosy's caboose for my sugar cane train I built the sides using a broken Bachmann combine car parts but I glued styrene strips on the side much like your roof coffee sticks, Florida doesn't like wood, thanks for the share, BillView attachment 258810
Click to expand...

Bill I realy like the look of that caboose and the steam engine you made also. They have an unique charm. Why does Florida don't like wood, too mosity and warm?
 
dunnyrail said:
Yes that is the one, in this (the roof pictures) one you can make out how the one layer had Overlaps. The gaps and ridges must have been filled with Wood Filler and sanded down to make a smooth curved surface. All done quite a while back now, pre 2011 I think. I used my Belt Sander for this Heavy Sanding finishing off with a Block and lighter Grip Paper. All some time ago now. The cover was dosed with External Grade PVA which helps with Shower Proofing, but I would not leave it out in the Rain. However a trip indoors on the line if it started to rain while running would cause no problems.

cutting up Longer Strips or using Aircraft Type Stripwood is a better bet with the same technique. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
It does! Thanks for your explanation on how you build the roof. Belt sander sounds very handy for this indeed (thats a good holiday gift idea!)
How does the coffee stirrer box motor look like now? Is it pained or did you leave it in wood?
 
Paulus said:
Bill I realy like the look of that caboose and the steam engine you made also. They have an unique charm. Why does Florida don't like wood, too mosity and warm?
Click to expand...
Yes everything rots and mildews, first buildings I did in wood and thought I had sealed them pretty good didn't last2 years if even a year, course sitting on the ground didn't help cause it just turned into a lunch counter for the bull ants and termites, so now everything is plastic or acrylic
 
Paulus said:
It does! Thanks for your explanation on how you build the roof. Belt sander sounds very handy for this indeed (thats a good holiday gift idea!)
How does the coffee stirrer box motor look like now? Is it pained or did you leave it in wood?
Click to expand...
I pondered long and hard over a Colour. I think the prototype from the RHB in Switzerland would have been Green in it’s early days then Perhaps Brown in later days. I however use it on my East German Harz Mountains themed line so Green May have worked but most of the Railcars were either Maroon or Maroon and Creme as seen on my Railcar in the second pic. As it was not a Passenger carrying machine, Maroon fitted the Bill. So after running around as a Coffeee Stirer Box lookalike it got a dose of Rattle Can.
B5175C1C-D9C7-414C-A7CC-394ACF80584B.jpeg1AF049E2-EA12-4126-A61B-9D8F55D90646.jpeg
As you can see it has had a touch of weathering and still needs some Lamps plus a Driver!
 
Bill Barnwell said:
Yes everything rots and mildews, first buildings I did in wood and thought I had sealed them pretty good didn't last2 years if even a year, course sitting on the ground didn't help cause it just turned into a lunch counter for the bull ants and termites, so now everything is plastic or acrylic
Click to expand...
Ah I understand... and I thought weather over here was though because of rains, winter and freeze. But at least we do not have bull ants or termites (thank God) or any other bugs or critters that cause a serious threat to the railway in that matter. However I do not build any structure or building from wood anymore as it rots away here also. Though the longest time a plywood building took was 5 tot 7 years. It had a roof cover from real roof tar but the moisture crawled up from the ground in the building. Understandable you go for plastic an acrylic materials. I use a Styrofoam base now, covered with a sort of concrete mixture. It is more ' sculpting" a building instead of modelling ;-) But it works...
 
dunnyrail said:
I pondered long and hard over a Colour. I think the prototype from the RHB in Switzerland would have been Green in it’s early days then Perhaps Brown in later days. I however use it on my East German Harz Mountains themed line so Green May have worked but most of the Railcars were either Maroon or Maroon and Creme as seen on my Railcar in the second pic. As it was not a Passenger carrying machine, Maroon fitted the Bill. So after running around as a Coffeee Stirer Box lookalike it got a dose of Rattle Can.
View attachment 258874View attachment 258875
As you can see it has had a touch of weathering and still needs some Lamps plus a Driver!
Click to expand...

It looks great! Love the color and weathering. Very interesting model. A real workhorse. What did you use for motor drive? LGB motorblocks?
 
Paulus said:
It looks great! Love the color and weathering. Very interesting model. A real workhorse. What did you use for motor drive? LGB motorblocks?
Click to expand...
All of my Railcars are using I think USA or some other US Motor Bogies, look in my current Harz Playmobil Build Railcar and you will see a pic of the type. They were sourced from GRS In UK.
 
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