_{Great Northern/Burlington Northern Wood Transfer Caboose}

The most numerous group of cabooses on the Great Northern were the wooden cars numbered X-330 to X-749, a total of 419 cars. Originally, these X-series cars were built between 1907 and 1930. Starting in the 1940’s, the Great Northern implemented plans to modernize the 25-foot caboose fleet. The interior of the cars as well as the exterior was revamped. Our previously released kit No. 861 represents these updated cupola equipped cars with the exception of cabooses X-627 to X-636, which received strengthened underframes for use in mountain pusher service. A number of these cars continued to serve after the GN’s 1970 merger into the Burlington Northern Railroad.

As these wooden waycars aged and were pulled from mainline duty, many found a second chance at life working as yard crummies and even in Maintenance-of-Way service. Yard transfer and work train cabooses provided a location for crews to act as a lookout when backing up the train, to blow the caboose whistle as warning when needed, and to apply the train’s brakes in an emergency when backing up. It also afforded a place in which the crew could travel and the conductor an office to complete his paperwork. Due to the age of the wooden carbodies, the cupolas were usually removed to reduce stresses on the structure and, generally, cupolas were simply no longer needed on these relatively short, reduced speed runs. This is the basis for American Model Builders’ latest caboose kit.

Kit #877 Great Northern/Burlington Northern Wood Transfer Caboose
Available now MSRP $46.95

Kit No. 877 features 100% laser-cut components with custom laser-scribed side and end walls, Tab & Slot and Peel & Stick construction, laser-cut underframe, end platforms, ladders, end railing, and brake wheels, cast resin platform steps, white metal smokejacks, fully illustrated instructions that provide information on painting and decaling the assembled model, and several fixtures to aid the modeler in creating all the handholds and ladders appropriate for the prototype. Additional parts are included for rendering either a curved or peaked roof depending on the prototype. As some of these transfer cars lasted into the Burlington Northern era, we have also provided detail parts for recreating one of the yard cabooses as seen in BN service during the mid 1970s. We recommend the purchase of Microscale GN decal set No. 87-227 or BN decal set No. 87-251, Tichy’s No. 3051 Bettendorf Trucks, and Kadee No. 5 couplers with draft gear boxes for completing our GN/BN caboose. 

_{Southern Pacific Modernized C-30-1 Class Wood Caboose}

The Southern Pacific C-30-1 Caboose represented the standard design for the SP Cabooses for many years. Most of the cars in the C-30-1 class were built between 1917 and 1928. Records indicate that over 240 were built as Southern Pacific cars, with at least an additional 100 cars built for the Texas & New Orleans. The 18 surviving T & NO cars were renumbered into the Southern Pacific roster in 1961. Thus, there were representatives of the C-30-1 on the rails for almost fifty years. It is known that caboose #600 spent a period of time in the 40’s on the Visalia Electric as their #53; and at least one C-30-1 was painted in the “Golden State” red and silver scheme and used for safety promotions. As originally built, the C-30-1 cars had a “narrow, slant-sided” cupola, with running boards all around. As the years went by, the cupolas were replaced with “full-width” slant-sided and straight-sided cupolas. Kit 876 depicts a C-30-1 with the later full-width straight-sided cupola.

Although minor variations developed from car to car, we chose to base our model primarily on SP #196, as this C-30-1 class car appeared in 1961. This particular car seemed to exhibit the most common characteristics of the class, which included steel channel end beams and power brake wheel stands. The kit features these details as well as an option that allows the modeler to build the cupola with either two different styles of crash bar glazed end windows or model the cupola without. A laser-cut steel style underframe is provided along with cast resin steps and several fixtures are also included to aid the modeler in creating all the handholds and ladders appropriate for the prototype.

Kit #876 Southern Pacific Modernized C-30-1 Class Wood Caboose
Available now MSRP $49.95

Kit #876 features 100% laser-cut components with custom laser-scribed side and end walls, Tab & Slot and Peel & Stick construction, laser-cut underframe, end platforms, ladders, end railing, and brake wheels, cast resin platform steps, white metal SP style smokejack, and fully illustrated instructions that provide information on painting and decaling the assembled model. We recommend the purchase of Microscale decal set #87-227, Tichy’s #3051 Bettendorf Trucks, and Kadee No. 5 couplers with draft gear boxes for completing our SP caboose. 

_{RAIL - HO MARINE SERIES}

NYC Harbor Barge Decal Set

Deck Scow

The Deck Scow was the Rail-Marine equivalent of the railroad flat car. Many of the United States' "Eastern" railroads maintained huge "railroad navies". The NYC, PRR, LV, CNJ, Erie, DL&W, NH and others all had a variety of craft on their rosters, everything from Railroad Harbor Tugboats, to Stick Lighters, Scows, Floating Livestock "Yards" , Station Floats, Car Floats, and Ferries, among others, too numerous to mention here. 

Many of these barges roamed the Northern East Coast, from Maine, southward to the Carolinas, all carrying railroad freight. The primary concentration of activity ranged from Portland, Maine to Philadelphia, with the largest operation centered around New York City. Railroad tugs pushed, pulled, and maneuvered all these craft between the piers of New York and New Jersey. The historical records of tonnage moved by the rail-marine craft is astonishing. In most cases, this tonnage was called lighterage by the rail-marine folks. Lighterage was, simply put, just about anything the railroad navies hauled from one freight dock to another. Many times barges and stick lighters were towed to tie up alongside ocean going ships in order to load the lighterage on board, often as the ship was imminently ready to sail. Anything one can imagine was transported this way from the mid 1800s to the 1960s. 

The inspiration for our line of rail-marine kits was a two part article, written by Don Spiro, that appeared in the December 2002 and January 2003 issues of Railroad Model Craftsman. 

Our latest addition to the Rail-Marine Series features 100% laser-cut materials, uses Tab & Slot and Peel & Stick technology for ease of assembly, and includes cast resin and white metal detail parts. As per the prototype, this HO scale barge's water line hull displays both sheer and camber as well as laser-scribed plywood decking. The assembled model measures 14" long x 4.25" wide x 2" tall.  

HO Kit #8002 Deck Scow MSRP...$74.95.

_{DETAIL PARTS}

_{Auto Frame Rack for Tichy War Emergency Gondola}

Back in production again! For use with the Tichy War Emergency Gondola and J.J.M. Railroad Enterprises Auto Frames or Laser Direct Auto Frames (not included). Includes laser scribed and cut wood car interior with cast resin rack assembly.

HO Kit No. 350 Auto Frame Rack for Tichy War Emergency Gondola
Available now MSRP ...$19.95

_{Wood Deck Set for Roundhouse Bulkhead Flat Car}

Includes custom laser scribed and cut Peel & Stick plywood floor and bulkheads.

HO Kit No. 398 Wood Deck Set for Roundhouse Bulkhead Flat Car
Available now MSRP ...$7.95

_{Wood Deck Set for Bowser F30a 50’ Flat Car}

Includes custom laser scribed and cut, seven piece Peel & Stick floor plus replacement handbrake ratchet and pawl.

HO Kit No. 399 Wood Deck Set for Bowser F30a 50’ Flat Car
Available now MSRP ...$9.95

_{Wood Crates for SceneMaster Generators}

These easy to build laser-cut wood crates are designed to enhance the Walthers/Life Like SceneMaster Generator freight car loads. Includes two complete kits.

HO Kit No. 213 Wood Crates for SceneMaster Generators
Available now MSRP ...$6.95

_{Wood Decks for Tangent ACF 70-ton Gondola}

HO Kit No. 396 Wood Deck for Tangent ACF 70-ton Gondola (Proto) – Laser-cut plywood deck with prototypically spaced bolt hole placement (pictured in red gondola).
Available now MSRP ...$10.95

HO Kit No. 397 Wood Deck for Tangent ACF 70-ton Gondola (Generic) – Laser-cut plywood deck with generic bolt hole pattern (pictured in black gondola).
Available now MSRP ...$5.95

_{Thirteen Lever Interlocking Machine}

Nothing makes an Interlocking Tower, such as our kit #185 PRR MO Tower or #702 Interlocking Tower stand out more on a layout then providing it with a detailed interior and our latest structure detailing kit does just that. Similar to the equipment once found in the actual MO Tower, our Thirteen Lever Interlocking Machine will add prototypical realism to any tower.

HO Kit No. 388 Thirteen Lever Interlocking Machine
Available now MSRP ...$10.95

The 100% laser-cut kit includes a floor-cutting template for installing the levers in any of our Tower kits, a new floor plate with laser-scribed details, and even a laser-cut paint mask along with color suggestions so the individual levers can be painted appropriately per railroad practice. Once assembled, the levers can be positioned to the modelers liking. The finished Interlocking Machine measures 1.25 inches long x 0.5 inches wide x 0.75 inches high with the lever bases extending below the floor level an additional 0.25 inches.  

_{Laser-cut Acrylic Wheel Masks}

Kit No. 906 Kadee 33” Wheel Mask

Kit No. 907 Kadee 36” Wheel Mask

Kit No. 908 Intermountain/Reboxx 33” Wheel Mask

Kit No. 909 Intermountain/Reboxx 36” Wheel Mask

Available now MSRP $10.95 each

These new masks are precision cut to fit popular high quality HO scale wheel sets. It not only keeps paint off of the wheel treads leaving just the front and back wheel faces and axle exposed for color, but keeps the modeler’s hands clean as well. The mask will hold four axles and, once painted, each of its “fingers” can be individually pulled apart to release one wheel set at a time. As paint builds up after time and since it’s made of acrylic, it can be soaked briefly in a number of paint solvents and wiped clean. Unlike cardboard masks, these will last for years! The mask is easy to assemble from 5 clear acrylic parts; a plastic solvent glue, such as Ambroid’s Pro Weld, is all that is required. 

_{S SCALE}

_{Springfield Depot}

Inspired by the countless number of small town railroad depots found across North America, the newest addition to our S scale line has been aptly called "Springfield Depot" for the widespread use of that town name in the US. The clapboard sided structure borrows elements from multiple designs displaying a centrally located angled three window bay with a small freight room on one side and passenger waiting room on the other side.

At only 7.5" long x 3.75" wide x 3" tall, the S scale depot will fit just about any 1/64 standard or narrow gauge layout with a rural or urban setting dated from the late 1800s though the present. The kit features 100% laser-cut parts that include tabbed and notched walls, peel and stick windows that can be assembled in layers for an optional open window effect, peel and stick trim, peel and stick shake style shingles, interior floor with wall partitions, our "stand alone" bay window design, detailed gable brackets, and a white metal chimney.

S Scale Kit No. 80 Springfield Depot
Available now MSRP...$69.95

_{O SCALE}

_{O Scale Hancock Pond Water Tank}

Built for the famous Maine Two-Footer Bridgton & Saco River Railroad, our kit is accurately scaled from multiple prototype photographs. Kit features a complete interior water tank, visible through the door, window, and side-wall overflow opening. It’s perfect for keeping your O scale narrow gauge engines from getting thirsty, no matter what part of the country you model! Compatible with On2, On30, On3 and other small O scale locomotives. 

Kit #466 includes: custom scribed wood sheathing, our original Peel & Stick trim and details, our original Tab & Slot construction, a cast resin water spout, a construction jig for building the stairs, concise illustrated instructions, “nails” and seams pre-scribed into the roofing, and all the other features you have come to expect from LASERKIT. When assembled, the water tank measures 3.25” long x 3.25” wide x 4.5” high with the service platform and stairs adding 0.5” to the width and 1.25” to the length.

 

O Scale Kit No. Kit 466 Hancock Pond Water Tank
Available now MSRP...$62.95   

_{Copyright © 2002-2010 American Model Builders. All rights reserved.
Revised: May 17, 2010}