BASHING A BOBBER

TURNING BACHMANN'S HO 4-WHEELER INTO A C&O CLASSIC BY RUSS HASS

My reasons for wanting a bobber caboose are simple. After kitbashing the Bachmann HO Shay into a model of C&O No. 16 (an article describing this conversion is scheduled for an early issue of C&O HISTORY), I needed something to haul behind her. No. 16's exit from the C&O roster predated the arrival of the 90700 series cabooses (offered by Walthers in HO), so they wouldn't do. A little research in C&O Cabooses 90700 Series revealed that in 1915 the C&O had 305 four-wheel cabooses. In 1921, the year No. 16 departed, the C&O had a grand total of 490 cabooses, of which approximately 200 were four-wheel bobbers. The other reason-let's face it-is that bobbers are just plain cute.

After comparing the Bachmann HO model (Photo 1) with some photographs from the C&OHS Archives things looked good but I still wanted to check the model against a drawing. J finally found a drawing of the C&O standard four-wheel caboose in John White's The American Railroad Freight Car. After comparing the model to the drawing there were some items that needed to be reworked, but all in all the model was close to the C&O prototype.

Basic Body Work

Shave off the Bachmann shell's molded-on grab irons, corner straps, and marker lights (Photo 2). Don't forget to rescribe the simulated wood siding behind these details.

Both the Bachmann roof and cupola have to go. The roof is too flat for the C&O prototype, and the cupola is completely wrong. Cut the roof overhangs off first, followed by the cupola, then, using a sharp hobby knife, cut off the remaining roof along the fascia.

Install a piece of .030" styrene flush with the top to stiffen the body, then cut a 4' × 6' hole centered on the body.

While you are working on the body shell, cut out the scribed panels on the lower half of the end doors.

Remove the mullions from the side and end windows and install a piece of plastic behind the open door panel.

Next, install a 2×4 vertically on the centerline of the new door panel.

A New Cupola

Tape a copy of the template drawing of the cupola parts (reproduced at full HO scale on the top of page 9) to a sheet of scribed Evergreen .020" freight car siding (269-2037). Cut out the windows first (Photo 3), then the parts themselves. Frame the windows with 1'' × 3'' styrene strips.

Now assemble the new cupola (Photo 4). Sand a 45-degree bevel on the new parts' inside corners, and glue them together. Reinforce the inside corners with short pieces of 6'' square styrene strip. Snap the body back on the frame to help line up the holes in the sides and ends. Drill holes in the side, ends, and the frame for the handrails using a No. 76 drill per the drawing.

Rebuilding the Roof!

Using the full-size HO templates on page 9, cut out new roof ribs from .020'' sheet styrene.

Glue the roof ribs to the subroof (Photo 5); one goes on each end and two flank the cupola. While I used only four ribs, if 1 were to convert another bobber caboose I'd add another pair spaced midway between the ends. Stiffen the rib-to-subroof joint with a piece of 6×6. After everything is dry, trim the ribs to the inside edge of the body shell and glue the new cupola in place.

Cut two pieces of 4×8 styrene strip 22-0'' long for the fascia boards. Trim the ends per the detail and install with equal overhang (Photos 6 and 7).

Glue a 2×6 strip to the top of the fascia strip to make an "L"girder (Photo 8). Rather than trying to make a curved roof from a piece of styrene, because the subroof prevents gluing from below, I chose to build it up like the prototype from individual 2×4 styrene boards.

For the fascia boards on the cupola ends glue a piece of 2×4 to each of the cupola ends (Photo 9). Do the same to the ends of the main roof. Make the cupola roof from a piece of .020'' styrene sheet. It's flush with the fascia board on the ends and has a 3'' overhang at the sides.

Lightly sand the roof and the ends of the boards flush. Simulate the canvas roof covering with a single ply of paper dinner napkin coated with oil paint from a tube (Photo 10). I used a mix of black, burnt umber and raw umber which looked like a weathered roof brown to me. After the paint is dry trim off the excess paper.

To make the roofwalk supports take a piece of .040''-thick styrene 2'-0'' wide and scribe a center line. Wrap a piece of 400-grit sandpaper around a piece of scrap 2'' tube and sand a curve in the bottom of the roofwalk supports. Cut into strips 3'' wide and glue three on each side of the cupola.

Make the roofwalk from three pieces of 2×8 strip styrene.

Support the roof walks around the cupola on 2×2s (Photo 11). The ones for the roof walk on the cupola are 18'' long. Trim the ones on the sides to length after installing.

Fabricating a Smoke Jack

The smoke jack was the toughest part to make. No commercial casting comes close. The lower section of my smoke jack is a piece of 3/l6''-diameter Plastruct tubing with a piece of 3/32'' diameter tube glued in as a tail to allow chucking in a motor tool during fabrication.

Using a File, turn a taper on one end and drill out with a 3/32'' drill. The middle section of the smoke jack is a piece of Plastruct 3/32'' tube (see sketch on page 9).

Take a piece of 1/8''-diameter tube and turn a cap. After the cap is glued onto the 3/32'' tube, file a flat on the tip and drill a 1/16'' hole.

As a final step, take a piece of 1/16'' brass tube and file a notch with a micro "rat-tail" file. Solder a piece of tube in the notch and trim the horizontal piece until there is a 6'' overhang on each side.

Install the completed smoke jack 30'' from the end of the caboose and 21'' in from the side (Photo 12).

Cupolo Braces

The cupola braces are made from lengths of styrene 1×3. Make a 45-degree triangle the height of the cupola to mark the location on the roof walk. Cut the brace the length of the triangle plus 6'';. Rend a tab 3'' long on each end and glue in place (Photo 13). I didn't do it but you might want to add a nut-bolt-washer (NEW) casting to each flat section.

Make and install the grab irons on the ends now.

Safety Appliances

Make a jig per the template on page 10 and use it to drill the holes for the handrail stanchions. The jig works by lining the two sides up and letting you drill all three holes. Flip it over and pin in place with a scrap of wire and drill the other two holes on the opposite side.

I used stanchions for the roof grabs from my scrap box, but they're oversized (Photo 14). You may want to substitute eye bolts or use either PSC No. A-370 (1.5 mm base to centerline of core) or Gary No. 13-117.

At first I cut the steps away to install ones which more closely resemble the prototype's, but this was a big mistake. The steps hold the Bachmann wheel sideframes in proper position und the wheels will pop out if dus is done (anyone want a spare body?). I then decided to retain the steps as is and continue with the end handrails. Cut eight pieces of 1-1/4'' wire about 1'' long. Drill the existing handrail holes and a new pair of holes 18'' out from the center line; also drill the hole for the brake staff, midway and slightly to the rear of the holes for the uprights on the left side. Install just the handrail stanchion wires for now. Next, cut a strip of styrene 30'' wide and use it as a guide to trim the wires to the correct height.

Bend four "L" handrails with a pair of round-jaw pliers (1/4'' diameter) from scale 1'' wire. Tape 6'' thick blocks of scrap stripwood to the end beams then tape the handrails in place and solder to the uprights. Make sure you leave the tails long enough for the next step.

Now for a tricky part. Using the roundnose pliers again, make the bend on the bottom of the handrail around and insert into the hole previously drilled.

Install the brake staff and trim 6'' above the handrail. Solder a brass brake wheel to the staff, and the staff to the handrail. The ladders are Detail Associates freight car ladders (229-6207). Trim the top so the side rails extend just above the roof. Round the ends over with a file and glue in place at the top only (for now).

Add a touch of super glue to the bottom after painting and lettering.

The curved side grabs are from Detail Associates (229-6503) and have to be reshaped with your fingers a bit to match the holes (Photo 15).

Final Touches

Paint all of the iron work, roof walks, and the smoke jack flat black. My lettering is from Clover House C&O boxcar set No. 72Of-f. Unfortunately the arch is too long to fit between the bobber's windows so you'll have to cut and apply the letters one at a time. Draw a light line in pencil connecting the tops of the two windows. Mark the center and draw the arch with a large circle template (2-3/4'' diameter). Start in the middle, placing the "A"and the "P" on either side of the center line.

Copyright Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, Inc. Jul/Aug 2004
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved