Hello all! I have spent loads of time these past months on various locomotive projects, but today I decided to move to the Other End of a train for a kitbash! The New York Central 19000 series caboose is among the most recognizable bits of NYC kit ever, and it is absent in N scale save a 40$ kit that comes with a 50$ shipping cost to me here in Europe... I just cannot afford that sort of price. So, I decided to tackle modifying a Micro Trains NYC caboose. The MT model is a good start; it's the right length, it has a usable body shell and cupola (with modifications), it's relatively common, and it comes with body mounted MT couplers! These cost between 15 and 20 dollars each, making them much more available for me. A sheet of N scale car siding and some other Evergreen styrene bits, and we're off! By making new car sides, trimming 5 mm out of the center of the cupola and gluing the two halves back together along with a bit of filing, I am here: More soon!
I need to source some trucks yet; does anyone know if MT makes the correct sort of leaf spring trucks for these?
MT does sell two kinds of caboose trucks, although I do not know if they are correct for NYCS. 003 02 140/145 are the numbers. The 140 is the truck, only. The 145 is the truck with a coupler mounted to it. These must have appeared after MT re-numbered its products, as the package is not showing the old numbers, so they might not exist. They do have leaf springs, but they do not look quite like the trucks that are on the NYCS cabooses in the Color Guide. Do be sure to lower that cupola a bit. NYCS must have had some tight clearances on some of its tunnels, as the low cupola is a NYCS characteristic.
I have several of the Laser Kit cabooses and they use an Atlas truck. The one recommended for their NYC one is this one. https://www.ebay.com/p/Atlas-22061-...ale-1-Pair/1601542763?iid=222624025486&chn=ps
Thanks much! I will be lowering the cupola about 8 scale inches. That, plus the walkways around it, gives it that low sleek look. The cupola is not an exact match; I am sort of experimenting with seeing how much I can do with just the MT caboose itself. Scratchbuilding an N scale cupola will be a pain, but if i must, I shall!
I saw that on the NYCTHS listing, thanks much! Oddly, the one you linked seems to have roller bearings though?
If you haven't already done so try Spookshow's site and his listing and photos of trucks. http://www.spookshow.net/trucks/trucks.php
Those Atlas Barber-Bettendorf look almost like the trucks on most of the standard NYCS wood cabooses. Does Atlas sell them separately on its website?
When I built the series of small 24 foot caboose kits I ordered the trucks from Atlas directly. They were listed in their parts catalog. I ordered the trucks that were specified in the Laser Kit instructions so I cannot remember if they were the same trucks being referred to because it has been at least four or five years.
