Drovers Caboose

duncan1_9_8_4

duncan1_9_8_4

Garden Railway Operator
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I understand these were for the transit of the people looking after the cattle etc. Not having a detailed knowledge of U.S. train formations........ where would the stock cars be located in the train, if passenger cars were in the consist too?
 
It is frequently said, quite correctly, that there is a prototype for everything.
As far as I know a drovers caboose would be at the tail end of a consist of stock cars: the train crew being in the rear and cupola part of the caboose and the drovers in the passenger section in the front part of the vehicle.
I expect, certainly at times of large cattle movements and at times when the railroads were pressed into finding extra stock, other arrangements such as a passenger car and a different type of caboose may well have been used.
Operating a fictitious shortline allows for anomalies to take place. ;)
Not all large scale manufacturers make this type of caboose: LGB make a Coca Cola one but what Coca Cola and cattle have in common escapes me. :bigsmile:
 
The Devonian said:
Not all large scale manufacturers make this type of caboose: LGB make a Coca Cola one but what Coca Cola and cattle have in common escapes me. :bigsmile:
Click to expand...
Maybe LGB knew the 'secret ingredient'. :bigsmile:
 
might mention

the LGB drovers caboose-really ISNT
it is a rough approximation of a single protoype combine, converted to include a cupola-on the pagosa springs branch of the DRGW
it was used in mixed freights, limited passenger revenue on the branch

-the cupola allowed the crew to keep on eye on the trains freight cars-overheating journal boxes and the like - no need for a caboose-just stuff in the odd passenger and baggage and the train crew behind the freight cars

similar looking cabooses in the US -ie with baggage or side doors-often were made from older equipment -often box cars, or baggage cars or combines, converted to cabooses (side doors were very dangerous and i l believe eventually outlawed-

as for actual 'drovers cabooses'-being a western type and somewhat of a reader of US rr stuff all my life
dont think ive ever actually seen one-i will tell you i have NEVER seen one in any of my many many US RR books referred to as a drovers caboose or referenced as being for bovine caretakers en route never heard the term used among railroad types -only heard it in reference to this style of LGB car, as coined by the LGB catalogs i think
nor have i ever seen one on the long strings of stock cars in photos-only a standard caboose

being rather fond of cowboy lore , and a good steak
i think the overall start to finish process was generally-
graze cattle until suitably fed,
-gather cattle in pen near RR siding
load cattel from pens into stock cars-
deliver to siding near or at stock yards or processing plant

i believe stockyards had thier own cow persons to move stock, i know slaughterhouses did
the denver stockyards had full time cow staff-there is a different skill, i beleive , to moving many cattle in a stock pen versus on the range
-i imagine that along with transport fees from the RR there were fees for schlepping the cows on the other end

dont think i am aware of cowboys traveling on the trains with the designated 'victims'
don think they sent them via train to better grazing areas-cowboys drove the herds to do this

not sure why the term Drovers caboose has been used so widely with the LGB pagosa spring car-i speculate it was one of thier marketing wizards-either german orf some non train 'dude' from new jersey! LOL

of course i could be wrong -just never heard of this practice in all of my reading about trains and cowboys

(of course on a circus train -the whole train was meant for the crew and animals etc-not the same tho!)
 
I've seen pictures of stock trains coming into CowTown(Ft.Worth)
loco & tender, boxcar, stock cars, caboose.

I recall a John Wayne movie that features one.
McClintock??? not sure of the title, but there is
a scene in the movie where he comes out of a
drovers caboose, then they unload his horse
thru the baggage door of the drovers caboose
at a small station.

HLW offers a Drovers Caboose in 1:24,
if you want one that scales better with
A/C & USAT stock cars than lgb's.
 
This is one of three raod names HLW make. The others are D&RGW and V&T.
http://www.h-l-w.com/Products/New/Colorada-and-Southern-Drove.jpg < Link To http://www.h-l-w.com/Prod...and-Southern-Drove.jpg
djacobsen said:
I've seen pictures of stock trains coming into CowTown(Ft.Worth)
loco & tender, boxcar, stock cars, caboose.

I recall a John Wayne movie that features one.
McClintock??? not sure of the title, but there is
a scene in the movie where he comes out of a
drovers caboose, then they unload his horse
thru the baggage door of the drovers caboose
at a small station.

HLW offers a Drovers Caboose in 1:24,
if you want one that scales better with
A/C & USAT stock cars than lgb's.
Click to expand...
 
duncan1_9_8_4 said:
All very well if you can get HLW stuff hehe
Click to expand...
The best way I've found to get HLW stuff
is to call : 219-362-8411
and order it directly from them.
 
a bit of show and tell
heres the original LGB version of the DGW 215 Pagosa Springs car
IMG_0391.jpg
 
and heres my repaint of a very inexpensive one i found on ebay- $49 US-and was lighted!!!

so i was inspired by the late 30's repaint in tuscan-an odd mix of the old tuscan passenger color and box car paint
kept the original fascia lettering, although inaccurate, for consistency with other LGB DRGW equipment i have

i used straight floquil tuscan, from the can!!
simply because i prefer the clarity -the prototype color really looked dull and like a work train-more box car than passenger car-this car sports a painted interior-wood walls and purple cushions-ala the deep burgundy velvet sometimes seen on turn of the century US passenger cars


amazing how a simple change in color goes from toy like to plausible
IMG_0393.jpg
 
Steve
Very nice looking Drovers Caboose.
 
I bought a secondhand LGB one at a Rugby GSS "do" a few years back for £50 as it was one example of rolling stock I have always wanted to own, for some reason.

I left the outside exactly as it was, but the interior has been fully repainted and detailed and figures added to the seats. As it is lighted, they can be seen when the lighting conditions aren't very good!

It features in the background of this photo - the only one I have which actually shows it!

9fdaae1452bf4351bcdbaf5d6fb39cce.jpg
 
thanks guys


love that green steeplecab too!!!!
 
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