Great results despite a crummy start

Pics by:KeithAlanK

This is my first train post at the Lab.
Along with my other bad habits, I'm fond of trains too.
Plural of caboose is cabeese and a common nickname is
crummy. These days you can simply call a caboose a trailing
anachronism.

This crummy started out as a toy cast in at least 5 clashing
and semi-translucent colors of plastic and covered in
meaningless and/or contradictory crooked stickers. It's part
of a battery powered christmas train set by New Bright,
running on 45mm gauge plastic track. It's aproxximately 1/32
scale. Along with repainting and adding window glazing, I
added a few details. I ordered and installed Ozark Miniatures
pewter marker lamps and eliptical springs castings on the
trucks.  I had to build new roof walks to replace the originals
which I lost somehow. The Y-type rerail was fabbed from a
track part.  Standard operating orders my imaginary railway
company, the GT&O, requires that all locos, cabeese and
plows must carry a rerail device [the imaginary trackage
aint so good]. The chain slung on the other side is for the
crews to drag stuff with. Sometimes a car has to be dragged
at a distance, and once, the conductor shot a moose.  The
marker lamps are functional with a 3V grain of wheat bulb
in each one.  Another bulb is hung inside as a ceiling lamp.
I chose to use a pair of C batteries so that I could use up
tired hand me downs from the loco which sucks up 6 at a
time. Too, I had several spare battery holders handy.  I
frosted the windows so you can't see in, and it simulates
window fogging on a cold day.  
I modified the track in the photo to be a grade crossing.
The wood strips hide some superfluous toy crap underneath.
The wood is aged with grey art markers and detailed with
a fine Sharpie pen.
After the crummy, I refinished the boxcar and gondola that
I have. Next will be the loco and tender, ugh. When I start
on the tender, I intend to get lettering and logos for
everything.

I decided to leave my christmas tree mummified in a closet
this year, but the xmas train is coming out tonight.  I found
some tiny plastic wreaths to put on each end of the train,
and some snow covered pine trees to put along the track.

       ~Merry Christmas Y'all!~