Jack Thompson's

Hartford's Hobart Estates logging caboose

Left side with the doors closed.

Right side with the doors open and Jack (no relation) looking out.

Left side front quarter.

Right side front quarter.

Here's Jack again.

Jack from the back

I guess Jack's more interested in looking out the door than at the turn-of-the-century "pinups" on the wall.

Truck and endsill details.

It's a shame you usually can't see all the beautiful detail on the bottom of these Hartford kits.

No, not a convertable. I made the cupola removable so that you could see some of the interior detail.

A closeup of the smokestack. I simulated the tarpaper roofing with masking tape, slightly overlapped, and sealed with brush- on AC glue and, of course, paint and Testors' DullCote.

Here is the interior, I thought I'd take some more pics before I glue the body walls together.

Here's the left-side interior, now painted and detailed.

shot of the exterior, ready for the roof and cupola.

The forward end wall. Note how the guys have decorated their workspace with some turn-of-the-century "pinups." (They're actually European bicycle poster ads - quite risqué, really.)

I thought you guys would like to see close-ups of the artwork. I know how much you all appreciate "fine art."

Remember, this was before Playboy or anything like that, so this was the best they could get. (I, for one, don't blame them.)

Closeup of the stove area and cupola seats on the left side.

Same, from above. For the cushions...I just cut little blocks of wood to size, then took my Dremel tool with a sanding burr to them to round the edges and add lumps and "butt impressions." Next, I covered them with masking tape (which, I think, has a texture like old cracked leather upholstery) and painted them with engine black (which is a little shiny like new leather,) followed by dry brushings of grimy black and earth to bring out the texture. Ten minutes work.

The aft end wall, cupola seats and part of the right side. For the highlighting...I like to use PolyScale "Grimy Black" and "Earth", right out of the bottle. I usually use a flat, "blade-type" brush with somewhat stiff bristles. I've got a whole jar full of 'em and I just grab any one that's handy.
After dipping in the paint, I wipe most of it out with a paper towel and then brush even more out on to a pad of absorbent paper until I get just a "tinge" of color from the brush. Sometimes I make several passes over the same area to gradually build up the effect I'm looking for. It takes patience, but the results are usually worth it.

the coal shovel is made of thin brass sheet and a bit of rod bent and glued together with ACC.

The caboose is complete with a full interior, but I need some 1:20.3 crewmen to go in it....

These are two figures from Railroad Express, Freddy and Jack (no relation) respectively, that I repainted to go in Caboose No. 3.

I modified Freddy's hat with modeling putty and a bit of pinstripe masking tape to make it look a little less "hillbilly."

The only modification to Jack was to build up his mustache (again with putty) into a respectable turn-of-the-century "handlebar" style.

Here are Hartford's Carter Brothers swing-motion trucks that are under the caboose.
("swing-motion" describes the suspension system.)

The two horizontal beams in the middle (the top one has the bearing plate attached in the center) are held apart by springs - you can't see them in the pix - which allow for vertical movement of the top beam to absorb shock. Both the upper and lower beams, as a unit, are suspended in "U" shaped straps suspended by two rods through holes in the top to the bearings you see mounted on the outside vertical beams.

This allows for a certain amount of side-to-side movement, or "swing," in the bearing plate as well. I suppose this was to help smooth out the ride even more but I bet it would just make me seasick.

Pretty ingenious design, considering how simple it is to build with just wood beams and straight metal bar stock.