I have recently purchased both Atlas RS 3 and GP 7 models in the striking Central of Georgia paint scheme. Can you tell me if there is a current model of a caboose that comes close to a typical C of G car and how was it painted? Also, are there any decals available for C of G cabooses? I did not see any offered by Microscale.

Thanks.

-- John v. Pasquariello (GRIZZLETOAD@AOL.COM), May 19, 2000

Answers

John (and John),

The CGRHS has supplied caboose drawings to one of the resin kit manufacturers, who has stated that he will make a CofGa caboose kit. I don't have any idea of when (and if) it will actually be produced, but we are making various contacts to get a kit produced.

Also, the best source of caboose lettering (for The Right Way scheme) is the new Microscale CofGa boxcar sets (set # 1079). It includes stencils 114 (monogram) and 145 (THE RIGHT WAY). The road numbers are the correct size (7") and although there's no "X", one could piece together an "X" from other characters. The boxcar set wasn't really designed to be used on cabooses, but it will work. We'll eventually do a "caboose" set, which will include the early monogram-only style, the Money-Saver style, The Right Way lettering, and the post-merger block style.

Allen Tuten

-- Allen Tuten (allen@cofg.org), May 19, 2000.

Dear John,

Youre going to be hard pressed to find an exact model of a CG caboose. I have been modeling the Central for years now and have accepted the fact that if I want a Central anything, I am just going to have to build it myself. The problem is that I am not an accomplished model builder so I have to settle for what my skills will allow me to produce. I have found that splicing three Athearn work caboose bodies together, one as the center structure, and cutting the other two just at the forward edge of the cupola opening of the end with the overhand, that I came up with a reasonable looking center cupola caboose that could pass as a CG wooden caboose. As for decals, you have two resources. You can use the railroad lettering set for CG that Champion Decal (Minot ND) offers combined with the very sloppy CG caboose decal set that Walthers markets. You can also use the CG herald from an O gauge Microscale switcher decal set. By the way, I use the O gauge heralds on my Spectrum 2-8-0 that I dressed up to loosely resemble a C-4 Consolidation. It works John and that is what really matters. Yea, I know that it is not an exact model, but it is the next best thing and I dont have a couple thousand bucks to commission some Japanese or Korean model maker to make me a one-of-a-kind model. Most of all, remember, model railroading is fun. Keep it that way.

John Walker, US Navy (Retired) 8405 Jolima Ave., Norfolk, VA 23518- 2219

-- John Ross Walker, US Navy Retired (jrosswalker@yahoo.com), May 19, 2000.