American Model Builders 885 Northern Pacific 1700 Series Wood Cupola Caboose – Laser-Cut Wood Kit — Less Trucks, Couplers & Decals, HO Scale

In 1921, the Northern Pacific purchased 90 cabooses from Pacific Car & Foundry based on the design of its older 1200 series 24 foot offset-cupola wood crummies, originally built between 1907 and 1913. These new cars differed in having steel underframes and most were constructed with a slightly different side window arrangement. Numbered into the 1700 series, these cars were the last wood-bodied cabooses the NP purchased. Furthermore, by late 1946, both the 1200 and 1700 series cars were rebuilt with common floor plans, new end railing arrangements and three step end platforms, and their former slanted side cupolas were now made straight. As a final touch, all cabooses received AB style brake gear too. By the time the cars were repainted in the new Monad and “Mainstreet of the Northwest” scheme beginning in 1951, the 1700 series cars had reached their final appearance, although a few would survive into the Burlington Northern era long enough to wear green and yellow paint.

HO scale kit 152-885 reflects these postwar 1700 series cabooses, particularly those that have their rear side windows forward of the front of the cupola by the width of the window (the 1200 series and a few 1700 series cars had their second side windows directly in line with the front of the cupola, which can be modeled with kit 152-871).

This kit features 100% laser-cut components with custom laser-scribed plywood side and end walls; tab-and-slot and peel-and-stick construction; laser-cut underframe, end platforms, end railing, and brake wheels; cast resin platform steps and brake gear; white metal smokejack; fully illustrated instructions that provide information on painting and decaling the assembled model; and several fixtures to aid the modeler in creating all the handholds, railing, and ladders appropriate for the prototype.

This HO scale kit can be built in one of three different ways based on the specific prototype: with full length letter boards across the top of the car sides; with battens only below the roof overhang on the sides; or with battens plus sheet metal flashing below the roof overhang. Also, two different widths of end ladders are also provided, so you can match your particular caboose even more accurately.

Recommended trucks for this kit are WalthersProto(R) 920-2032 Andrews Caboose Trucks. Other recommendations for this kit include Kadee(R) No. 5 couplers with draft gear boxes; Microscale decal sheet #460-87184 “Northern Pacific Cabooses Pre-Merger, Early” or #460-87842 “Burlington Northern Cabooses” plus the paint and glue of your choice.