Kit No. 869 - Atlantic Coast Line Class M3 Plywood Side Caboose
The Atlantic Coast Line M-3s and M-4s were 38’ 8” long coupled and had steel underframes with wood superstructures. Most had an inside length of 29’ 8”. As first built or rebuilt, M-3/4s had planked wood siding. Around 1960 ACL began replacing this siding with plywood sheets, which in fresh paint almost looked like steel. Although most received plywood siding by the end of their careers, a few that were shopped as late as 1966 still kept their planked siding. Our plywood sided version of this ACL caboose features 100% Laser-cut wood, cast resin end platforms and center sill, Peel & stick wood windows & doors, awnings for windows, laser-cut ladders, brake stand, brake wheel, and toolbox, two different style end doors, and an AMB cast white metal smokejack. (less trucks and couplers).. - MSRP...$46.95

Kit No. 870 - Illinois Terminal Bay Window Caboose
In the early 1940s, the Illinois Terminal shopped five former 4000 series wood cupola cabooses of 1912 design. They removed the cupolas from the roof and installed a full body height, pre-cast steel bay window on each side. Renumbered 900, 901, 903, 906 and 936, the rebuilt cabooses eventually saw system wide use and lasted on the IT well into the diesel era. The kit includes cast resin bay windows, laser-cut end ladders and brake wheels, and a drilling jig. (less trucks and couplers). - MSRP...$46.95

Kit No. 871 - Northern Pacific 1200 Series Caboose
The NP's 1200 series of 24' cabooses were built as early as 1907, yet they lasted for many years. First rebuilt in the 1920s with steel center sills, they were renumbered in 1942 into the 1200 series, with some 145 in service then. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, these cars were rebuilt yet again to more modern safety standards, and our kit represents this post-War appearance. With their distinctive large cupolas, and fabricated end railings, these cars were a common sight all along the NP up until the BN era. Our kit includes all the end railings and ladders, two brake wheels, and a jig for bending your own grab irons; as well as both widths of ladder landings on the roof. (less trucks and couplers). - MSRP...$46.95

Kit No. 872 Florida East Coast Standard Wood Caboose
The Florida East Coast Railroad took delivery of their first ten 700 - 800 series wood side door cabooses from Mount Vernon Car Company in 1923.  Another 100 cars would be received by 1927 built in the shops of both Mount Vernon and the Magor Car Company.  The cabooses featured steel frames, a 33 foot 10 inch long carbody, lever-type handbrakes, and rode on either Andrews leaf spring trucks or express-type trucks.  They were the standard cabooses for the FEC until being replaced by steel cars in the 1960s.  The 700 - 800 series remained unchanged in appearance until the late 1950s when a rebuilding program was commenced at which time the side door was eliminated and plywood sheathing was applied to the car sides.  Our kit represents the as-built 700 - 800 series cars with custom scribed sheathing, Peel & Stick windows, doors and roofing material, cast resin steps, unique laser-cut end ladders and handbrakes, and a white metal smokejack.  Additional parts needed to complete this kit include trucks, couplers, glue, paint, and decals. - MSRP... $46.95

Kit No. #873 NC&StL / L&N Caboose
The Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad’s former Florida East Coast cabooses were built in 1924 by the Mount Vernon Car Company and were from the FEC number group 873-892 (our kit #872).  The Dixie Line acquired these in 1935 and numbered them in the series 30-44 as class NE-3.  They were subsequently rebuilt and the characteristic FEC side doors were removed.    In 1949, the N&StL rebuilt nine of the NE-3 cabooses again for branch line passenger service.  They became a common site on mixed trains on various branch lines and continued in this service even after the merger with the Louisville & Nashville and up until the mid 1960s.  Our newest caboose kit represents these 1949 rebuilt passenger service cars with custom scribed sheathing; Peel & Stick windows, doors and roofing material; cast resin steps, unique laser-cut end railings, ladders, and handbrakes; and a white metal smokejack.  Additional parts needed to complete this kit include trucks, couplers, glue, paint, and decals.  MSRP... $46.95 

Kit No. 876 Southern Pacific Modernized C-30-1 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.

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. MSRP...$49.95

Kit No. 877 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 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. MSRP...$46.95

Copyright © 1998-2010 American Model Builders. All rights reserved.
Revised: March 12, 2010