Four Wheel Bobber, Future Project

This caboose is located at the Houghton County Historical Society.  I was not able to find out what prototype used this four wheel bobber.  Many upper peninsula railroads used this style of caboose.  It is not a Mineral Range cab as they appear to have only one end window the top of which is even with the door header.  The end platforms on the MR car do not span the entire width of the car leaving room for end stairs.   I am currently building a pilot model of this caboose to get a feel for how it needs to be assembled.  My plan is to use this experience and build three bobbers more closely following the Mineral Range prototype.  I will use the dimensions of this prototype as the basis for the MR model.  This will be a build I will be documenting later this fall. 

I have been posting additional information on the Schusters building build.  The build is catching up with the current status of the model.

Coach Yard Car Washer At NAPM

This weeks project at NAPM was to build and install the coach yard car washer.  No one knows who manufactured the model.  It is comprised of white metal castings.  They are not the finest castings when compared to current manufacturing standards but do represent a facility that no manufactures currently produce.  In the back are the detergent storage tanks, pumphouse and control box.  In the right foreground are the washers themselves. There base is made from 1/8" thick styrene sheet and some scrape window material was used as the between track drain cover.

Update to Schusters Build

I have started to post updates to the Schusters build. 

Finished LaBelle Cars

This took a while to get completed.  I added Cal Scale air hoses to each car.  I also fabricated sets of outside brake beams adding each pair to the trucks.

New Build NAPM Schusters Service Buiding

I have started a build on a structure for use on the NAPM layout.  I will be updating the page regularly.  Page updated on July 10.

Progress on the NAPM Layout

Work continues on the tower at the coach yard throat.  Added ground cover, underbrush and some advertising signs on the retaining walls. 

Updated the LaBelle Build Page

The nice weather continues and I have been busy working on the gardens around my house.  I have done a few additional steps in the construction of the LaBelle kit and have updated the build page.