Page 25 - November December 2013

Chasing the C-40-3 caboose: a modeller’s tale
Brian Moore
Like many NMRA(BR) members, I’m constantly looking at UK eBay for US model­railroad­themed bargains as well as hard­to­ find items, and they do indeed come up from time to time – not only suitable rolling stock, but also building kits, detail parts, track and reference material. I particularly find the latter topic of increasing interest and necessity as I slowly strive to own a locomotive and car fleet which is ever more accurate for both the periods I model. As an example, I managed to pick up on UK eBay last year a fine, pre­owned, second­edition copy of the PFE reefer bible, Thompson, Church & Jones’s magisterial ‘Pacific Fruit Express’ for a relative song. I refer to the book constantly, and continue to learn ever more about PFE oper­ ations and vehicles, so that I can more accurately represent them in my modelling, or at least try to avoid the worst howl­ ers. The cost of international shipping and import duties has also made US eBay a less attractive option than it used to be. My modelling interest is the Southern Pacific railroad in HO, primarily SP’s Coast Line circa 1954, but I’m also putting together a smaller collection of SP power and stock for the 1979–1984 time period. The latter assemblage exists in part so that I have some more “modern” (a relative term, I know) equipment to run with fellow members of the Western Union group in Plymouth on the monthly “modular/live ops” sessions we all find so enjoyable.
Indeed, I doubt I’ve had more pleasure out of a single loco­ motive than the amount I get at most club meets from running (and listening to) my re­sprayed and detailed, Tsunami­equipped ALCo RS11 on local freight duties, as it stops, starts, slows and reverses at various switching locations along the line – who needs a big collection of engines to have serious model rail­ roading fun? Fellow ’80s SP modeller Rob Mallett is always happy to act as Conductor to my Engineer on freight duties when I run #2900, as he could listen to the ALCo burble for hours.
SP 2900 was one of the three RS11 demonstrators purchased by the SP in 1956, and I’ve modelled it as it was in its final months operating in Houston TX and just prior to withdrawal in 1979, running in long­hood­forward mode until the end. There are a few compromises involved, but with Smokey Valley handrails, accurate basic lettering, some bespoke added detail (including that unpainted aluminium horn) and a lot of grime, it looks the part. It’s an Atlas model, and was originally in SP Black Widow colours.
SP modellers of the 1950s have been fortunate to benefit from the Walthers release a few years ago of an accurate C­30­1 wooden­bodied caboose, and I’ve acquired nine of these very useful models, including three from eBay. Re­sprayed and re­ numbered SP 315 is seen below.
To provide some prototypical variety amongst my 1954­era C­30­1 fleet, one has just visited the paint shop to have silver ends applied (an early fifties experiment to help with visibility) and another is in the process of receiving a replacement steel cupola, subsequently fitted to many C­30­1 cabooses via refurbishment or accident repair. I’ve used an old Athearn cupola, modifying and adding to it to make it appear reasonably
accurate in comparison to prototype pictures. Here they both are, with the steel caboose cupola still requiring some further work to fit snugly, and a picture of a full­size version behind it.
It’s always good to ring the changes that show minor variations upon a common theme. Both of these models still require application of all the separate grabs, eyelets, ladders etc; a task I find tiresome and time­consuming, but the end result is always worthwhile.
My research shows that in 1954 the C­30­1 was seen on roughly 60% of the trains I’ve found in pictures and on DVDs, but most of the rest have the newer steel­bodied C­40­3 tacked on at the back. My dilemma is that no plastic model of the C­40­3 exists, and apart from a WrightTrak resin kit that needs a lot of building to look good (never mind the 60 bucks’ cost, postage and import duties), brass is the only option.
When hobby money was far more available a few years ago, I won a brass C­40­3 on US eBay, representing one of eight that were repainted silver in 1955 to run with the new Coast Line Trailer­Flatcar service. More recently, nailing my layout to 1954 invoked a requirement for a repaint and a welcome opportunity to have a C­40­3 in general service. Using pictures and infor­ mation gleaned from SP modeller and author Tony Thompson’s book, ‘Southern Pacific Freight Cars Volume 2: Cabooses’ and his excellent on­line modelling blog (Modelling the SP), I under­ took a re­spray, re­decalling and minor modification job to create SP C­40­3 1205, as seen below.
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