DL&W #850-910 Keyser Valley Caboose: HO Scale

Mfd by .JJL Models,

733 Seymour Rd. Bear DE 19701.

www.jjlmodels.com

 

 

                The niche market for low production runs of less popular railroad prototypes has long been the province of the brass model or the more economical wood, mixed-materials, or resin craftsman kit. Resin kits have come a long way since the days of solid one piece, or six piece, flat-cast bodies of brittle or twist drill-eating, metal-filled resins. This second release from JJL Models raises the bar another notch for resin kits, both in fidelity, innovative design, ease of construction and detail. 

                This is no accident as both Joe Lofland, proprietor of JJL, and Jim Harr, master model builder, are avid modelers and members of the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society.  Trained in industrial design, Jim also coordinates the translation of master model to mold with Alan Grayson of Pacific Mountain Scale Shops, the mold and casting shop.  This synergy shows in the close tolerances and high quality of the production pieces.

                The firm’s first kit was the Erie Dunmore Caboose which was very well received by Erie/E-L modelers. The subject of this kit review, the Lackawanna’s final, and only steel caboose design, homebuilt at the railroad’s Keyser Valley Shops, has been eagerly awaited by the Lackawanna fraternity. This unique caboose has only been previously available in brass.

During the steam era a railroad’s identity was expressed most visibly in the design of its steam locomotives and its cabooses.  Every road’s engineering dept. took great pride in the design and performance of its locomotives and the functionality and comfort of its cabooses. With the coming of the diesel age a large degree of homogeneity was brought to the locomotive fleet (a Geep is a Geep, is a Geep…sort of), but the individuality within the caboose fleet remained right up to the general abandonment of the caboose in favor of the rear end device.

                The Lackawanna Railroad only had three caboose designs in its modern era, from the turn of the century till its 1960 merger with the Erie Railroad.  The first was a four wheel, wooden “bobber” caboose.  As the Lackawanna transitioned from a drag to a fast thru-freight and bridge line the bobber was replaced beginning in 1914 with the 250 steel framed, wooden, eight wheel cabooses numbered 600 to 849.  In 1948 an all steel caboose, # 850 was built by Keyser Valley Shops on the frame of a retired tender.  After several years of evaluation the first ten production models (851-860) entered service in 1951. These first eleven cars were of riveted construction while final fifty were of all welded construction. The heavier and stronger framed steel cabooses displaced the wooden cabooses on heavier main line freights requiring pushers as it was no longer necessary to take the precaution of switching out the 600-849 cabooses to behind the pushers.  The 600-849 class was never fully replaced by the 61 Keyser Valley cabooses, numbered 850-910.

                All three of these classes shared an evolutionary family resemblance. All had trade mark Lackawanna sheet metal splash guards on the end rails to protect the walkways from moisture, mud, ice and snow thrown up by the preceding cars.  Likewise all shared a horizontally sliding, two pane cupola side window, as well as interior protective grill bars inside the cupola end windows.  The 600-849 deleted car body end windows but kept the double-hung side windows of the bobber, increasing the number to four per side.  The all steel caboose kept the approximate size and appearance of the 600’s in all respects accept the number of windows was decreased to three on one side and the windows were changed to single pane, aluminum framed window. A peaked rain guard was also added above each window. During the 3 year production run radios, electrical systems and flush toilets were introduced and many of the early run cabins were retrofitted with one or both systems. Radio equipped cabooses were so lettered while the presence of a flush toilet was indicated by a small white star painted above or below the road number on the side.

                Attention to detail is the hallmark of this kit. The box contains a one piece, open bottom cast resin body with fairly thin walls. To enhance the appearance of the finished model each window area has internally cast relief to both locate the window frame parts and provide for scale window depth when complete, a very nice touch. The outside of the body has cast bolt heads and small holes to mark where the body is to be drilled for grab irons.

                There are five re-closable poly bags which contain: a) the resin frame, roof inserts, a nifty jig for drilling holes for the small grabs on the upper body ends, and small resin parts to complete the body, b) pre-bent grab irons, railings, and cut levers, c) complete brake set including brake wheel housings and air hoses, d) Kadee #58 scale couplers, and e) correct plastic trucks. Additionally there are self sticking weights for the interior floor and brass wire.

                The crown jewel is the sheet of etched stainless steel parts. This sheet includes the window frames thus simulating the bare aluminum of the prototype, the roof walks, splash guards, rock guard screens and frames for the side windows, rock/ice guards for the cupola windows and a cleverly designed end railing and ladders that sandwich with resin end beams to form a beautiful scale car end.

                The instruction sheets contain prototype information, numerous photos of the model and prototype, diagrams, and broad verbal instructions on assembly. They were adequate for the experienced builder but are probably a little thin on step-by-step assembly instructions for the novice. JJL Models has revised the instructions with input from early builders of the kit and is including them in production kits. Additionally in a nice personal touch, the manufacturer will answer questions or provide assistance over the phone or on the website.

                Absent are any material for window glazing and decals. The lack of decals may seem an oversight but since these cabooses wore the Lackawanna and several E-L schemes, and some of them even wore Conrail blue, the decision was made to let the modeler purchase decals specific to the period modeled. Decals for all Lackawanna and E-L schemes are available in separate sets from Prime Mover Decals, 50 Livingston Ave. Dover NJ 07801 or www.primemoverdecals.com.

While there are sufficient detail parts included in the kit to model any of the minor variations within the fifty all welded cabins, this kit is in actuality correct for cabooses 882-910. Beginning with 882 Keyser Valley switched to the Morton running board with round holes in it, supplanting the U.S. Gypsum expanded steel running boards with a rectangular grid work.

Construction of this kit is very straight forward and requires no special tools or skills for any modeler who has attempted anything more complex than a shake-the-box kit. The kit is so well engineered that it would make a good first “craftsman” kit for a modeler looking for a more challenging project.

Assembly proceeds logically with all parts being attached to two separate sub-assemblies; the frame and the body. The trickiest part of the kit is bending the two 90 degree bends in the ends of the splash guards. All of the etched parts that require bending are surface etched with lines at the bends to ease the task. Never the less remember the old adage and check twice-bend once.  Conveniently the sub-assemblies can then be painted all black for the frame and boxcar red for the body. If the as built look is desired do not install the etched window frames till after painting.

                A word on paint, the manufacturer recommends Scalecoat #13 Box Car Red which I second.  Frankly every Lackawanna modeler has his own view of what color this caboose was painted. A quick look through the essential Erie/DL&W Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment by Larry DeYoung and Mike Del Vecchio will disavow one of the notion of one “right” color. All were painted one color but the vagaries of light, weathering, and grime all play a part in determining the final color at a given moment.  I use as a reference the 1955 fresh-out-of-the-paint-shop view of No. 910 (pg 116) as a starting point and for the choice of Scalecoat Box Car Red as a base color as I had years ago on earlier projects after viewing a number of color slides.  The gloss finish of this paint also makes for a good decal base.  After decaling and painting minor details and the handrails yellow, spray a sealing coat on the body.  The use of a gloss coat will preserve the look of a new caboose while a semi-gloss, satin, or flat seal coat will noticeably darken the color of the body just as nature did.

Several options to enhance the model are possible. If the electric marker option has been selected, the resin pieces will accept small jewels or MV lenses # LS220 or 601 which come 4 red lenses to the envelope. If so inclined it would be an easy matter to electrically illuminate the markers with LEDs or mini-bulbs.

The body may be ACC’d directly to the frame or styrene square lengths may be ACC’d to the floor to locate and reinforce the bond. When cured install the platform gratings on the end platforms. Trim them for a good fit. The body can also be made removable by not gluing the ladder risers to the roof, and installing two sturdy, drilled and tapped styrene cross pieces in the body. The body can then be secured to the frame with longer truck screws or separate screws hidden between the frame rails.

                 The finished model duplicates the dimensions from the Lackawanna Car Department Classification of Freight Equipment (corrected to May 1, 1952) and to my eye surpasses the look and feel of the brass models I have of the same car. This is no surprise as the manufacturer carefully measured the prototype caboose preserved at Steamtown in the preparation for the model. My sample matched up perfectly with the Kadee coupler height gauge and weighed in at a little over 2 ½ ounces with the included weights.

 If you enjoy modeling as opposed to opening a box, this type of kit is the solution to the fleet of cabooses any Lackawanna or E-L modeler needs. As ever there is the bottom line; is the kit worth the $69.50 price tag? Yes, the completeness of the kit (trucks and couplers) and the inclusion of extensive etchings and detail parts make this excellent kit a very attractive alternative to acquiring out of production brass models in the secondary market or scratch building the complex roof and cupola structure. JJL Models has just announced its third kit, a twin pack of the Erie 29000 series twin hopper and is aggressively developing never-made-kits of other sought after prototypes such as the Lackawanna/LNE ACF drop-frame covered hopper and the Lackawanna Phoebe Snow Budd-built diner and tavern lounge cars. Check their web-site for details.