Caboose mystery
#1
My friend recently inherited this vintage caboose and both of us have come up short trying to figure out the manufacturer and prototype. Can anyone help us out?
 

[Image: 202073020141_caboose_cr.jpg]
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#2
i would say without further  photos that the basic kit was a silver streak kit that has been bashed , the cupola doesn't fit the roof curve well  and the ladders are not the ones supplied with the kit  nor is the smoke jack  original  but its in the right place and the steps look like the ones that came with the kit , as for prototype i don't have the foggiest . i still have two of the kits i built up 40 years ago .
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#3
I think that Jim's got it right.  The caboose is definitely from Silver Streak, as the siding and the cast metal window frames are a giveaway, along with the platform railings, although the steps are different from the ones on mine.  The roofwalk is not original, though, nor are the lateral walkways - the ones on mine are cast metal, and have open spaces between the "boards".

I wouldn't be surprised if the cupola was from Red Ball, or maybe even Model Die Casting.

The ladders look to be stamped brass, with the stiles bent 90º, while the ones on mine are flat and less clunky-looking.

With your skills, Glen, I think you could return that caboose to its glory days.  The Silver Streak kits were fairly sophisticated for their time, and using some more modern materials and techniques could yield some impressive results.

Wayne
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#4
Thanks Jim and Wayne. I don't know if my friend is going to restore it but at least we know where it came from.
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