Are there any caboose articles in back issues of TIES? If yes, are back issues of TIES for sale?

-- Roger Kirkpatrick (kirkpatr@marietta.edu), May 06, 1998

Answers

Roger--one goal I have for the future on this page is a searchable index of Ties. I can't remember any articles on cabooses but will check tonight. I do know that we are working on a prototype and modeling article on Southern transfer cabooses which should be in the Sep-Oct issue. George Eichelberger is doing the prototype part with lots of info from the archives and I'm doing the model. JimKing of Smokey Mountain Model Works will be releasing a resin kit of one later this year too. I also remember a Southern caboose article in Mainline Modeler a few years ago. Again I'll have to dig it up. So far Jim King's resin kit of the wood caboose is the best available unless you like brass. Both the wood and steel bay window cabooses are around in brass and overland is releasing another one this year that I believe has the local service solar panels on the roof. In plastic you can either kitbash an Athearn or Walthers bay window--Larry

-- Larry Puckett (lpuckett@geocities.com), May 06, 1998.

Larry-a couple of years ago, in one of the first Diesal Era magazines, an in-depth article was written concerning Southern Bay window cabs. When I have an opportunity, I'll dig out the article and e-mail all the specifics. Don Cooke

-- Don Cooke (railhead@sccoast.net), July 03, 1998.

Larry-in postscript to my earlier answer, after some digging around in my layout room, I located the issue of Diesel Era that I was referring to. The article was written by Mr. Warren Calloway; the issue was Volume 4, Number 3, dated May-June 1993. The article begins on page 43,and contains seven pages of some of the best Southern "cab" pictures I have seen, interspersed with a well documented text. "keep The Green Light Shining".

-- Don Cooke (railhead@sccoast.net), July 06, 1998.

Mainline Modeler had an article on the Southern wood cabs, November 1985. The 2 page article is by Mark Montague, has 3 picts, and a detailed drawing of exterior and interior views, not much info though... BK

-- B Kimble (sou-ry@geocities.com), August 05, 1998.

Larry,

Also Funaro and Cemerlango offer a kit for the Southern wood cab at about half the cost of King's, but instructions are poor and there is no trucks or couplers. My suggestion to anyone building more than one is to buy Smoky Mountain's Kit for the instructions and Funaro's kit for extra cars.

Mike Brown

-- Mike Brown (Southern4501@compuserve.com), December 09, 1998.

I've got a F & C wooden caboose kit and think its very poor. The only realy useful item are the steps castings. Luckily sufficient to do a second car. If the steps were avaialable separately I would make more cabs out of evergreen styrene.

Ernie Puddick, Derby, UK

-- Ernie Puddick (ernie@puddick.fsnet.co.uk), January 09, 2000.