fantasy: American Flyer Lines Center-cupola Cabooses

Model Manufacturer Info

Manufacturer:

A.C. Gilbert (click for web site)

Manufacturer ID:

934

Prototype Info

Style:

center-cupola

Body:

steel

Road Name:

fantasy: American Flyer Lines

Model Info

Gauge:

Introduced:

1954

Road Number(s):

934

Product Type:

plastic

Finish:

painted & lettered

Wheels:

hi-rail

Couplers:

Notes:

This was an uncataloged item. Since the 934 was assigned to a floodlight series of cars in 1953, noted author and historian Ted Hamler believes a mistake was made when assigning a number to the caboose as two different items were not to carry the same catalog number. The 934 caboose is identical to the 938 caboose that was also introduced in 1954, however the 938 was a bobtail style (single-coupler) caboose whereas the 934 has a coupler on both ends.

Holt Apgar repainted this model based on the 1960s paint scheme for the Lehigh Valley, which includes the yellow handrails and ladders, yellow rectangular safety slogans, the peaked narrow rain gutters above the paired side windows, and the narrow rectangular windows on the right side of both ends of the main cabin. HO-scale Microscale decals provided the numbers and lettering. Flexible acrylic sheet was used for the glazing, and a section of brass tube was used for the stack-top cross-piece. Flat clear lacquer sealed the decals, car sides, and the thinned brown enamel roof weathering. Holt's model represents a late Phase-I built in 1944.

Holt extensively reworked this model into a New Haven NE6 in McGinnis 1955-58 colors. He cut the end windows, sealed the outer side windows, and re-cut the inner side windows upward and filled the originals. He used decals by Accu-cals and Microscale. He handpainted Testors Model Master flat enamel paint, and sealed the model with flat clear lacquer. He then applied the side windows' glazing, and cut a brass tube for smokestack crosspiece.

Model Manufacturer Info

Manufacturer:

A.C. Gilbert (click for web site)

Manufacturer ID:

938

Prototype Info

Style:

center-cupola

Body:

steel

Road Name:

fantasy: American Flyer Lines

Model Info

Gauge:

Introduced:

1954

Road Number(s):

91524

Product Type:

plastic

Finish:

painted & lettered

Wheels:

hi-rail

Couplers:

Notes:

The #938 was produced in 1954 and 1955 in three variations. The first variation, shown in the first photo, is painted red over a Type I or a Type II black plastic body that is a bobtail style caboose (no rear coupler) with Type 8 trucks. The second with a straight-sided "M" is painted red over a Type I black plastic body with Type 8A. The third variation is painted red over either a black or a white Type II body that is mounted on Type 7 trucks. The 938 was basically a 638 renumbered due to the switch to knuckle couplers.

Holt hand-painted the model using Testors paint. He added the smokestack crosspiece and applied window glazing. Both dry-transfers and wet decals were used. It is modeled after a prototype of the early 1960s.

Holt substantially repainted and decorated this model for the Boston & Maine. The C92 model closely matches one of ten (C90 - C99) northeastern style cabooses purchased by the B&M in 1962 from original owner L&NE; they were built by Magor Car Co. in 1931, as wood cabins with steel underframes. Holt applied two coats of Testors flat enamels by hand. Lettering and logos were dry transfers and Microscale decals, sealed with flat clear lacquer. End brass parts and brake wheels were painted white as per the prototype. The stack top crosspiece was cut from brass tube stock. Windows were glazed. These ten C90s were the only wood-framed, 4 windows per side, cabooses on the B&M to wear the late-1950s blue, black, and white McGinnis era paint scheme.