fantasy: American Flyer Center-cupola Cabooses

This photo shows the underside of the 1952 American Flyer cabooses (the bottom one is the same as the foreground in the first photo, and the middle one is the same as the middle one in the first photo). Note the bottom red unit has riveted couplers, which is an example of an early 1952 model. The riveted style knuckle coupler on early 1952 models can also come in tuscan. These were one of only eight cars produced in 1952 with knuckle couplers.

Holt Apgar reworked this into an N5b Pennsylvania cabin car. Fitting the I-beam collision posts into the end braces and changing the side windows were the most difficult tasks. End windows were cut first; inner side windows were blocked, and outer side windows were extended upward, and filled at the base. Plastic I-beam collision posts were trimmed and carefully fitted into the tuscan painted end braces. Flat black Testors enamel was brushed onto the roof. The class N5b cabin decals are from Microscale; they are HO-scale, but correct for class N5b. Flexible plastic glazing and flat clear lacquer completed the project.

Scan from the 1953 catalog.