Penn Central Close Enough N5G Caboose Project

Greetings All,

While rummaging thru my purgatory box I came across a forgotten Life Like center cupola caboose that had been sent to me in a box of train goodies by fellow modeler, blogger and P.C.C.M. Participant John B. The caboose had been stripped with additional weight added and was basically ready for paint. 

I had previously painted a pair of Life Like cabooses for my Penn Central fleet as N5G cabooses. Far from being prototypically correct they did make for good looking models. So I grabbed my can of rattle can Jade Green spray paint from American Slings and got to work. 

The Penn Central class N5G cabooses consisted of sixteen units that were purchased in three batches from the Lehigh Valley RR in 1968. The N5Gs were painted and renumbered PC 18400-18405 and PC 18417-18426. For this project I chose #18423. 

The prototype 18423 is ex LV 95078 that was built on July 8, 1939. It was sold to the Penn Central on June 6, 1968. It served the PC until the end and was conveyed to Conrail where it was scrapped on February 11, 1977 after almost forty years of service. 

Here is the caboose after being painted. The American Slings jade green goes on pretty thick so be careful and allow a few days for it to dry and cure before handling. Patience Grasshopper!

John B had started this project and was kind enough to have filled the bolsters with styrene, drilled them out for 2-56 screws and installed pads for the coupler boxes. The trucks are from an Athearn BB caboose I hadn't used in a long time.

With the trucks and a set of Kadee couplers installed

The all important Kadee Height Gauge test. Perfect! Nice work John B!

Several days later at the Patti O Paint shop the caboose gets its roof and cupola painted black.

The decals have been applied and are solvasetting.

Back at the Kadee Height Gauge with P-2000 metal wheels installed and the steps and rails brush painted yellow.

Penn Central 18423 poses at Terminal Yard. Clear plastic 'window glass has been added. 

The 18423 poses with two older brothers, the 18418 and 18401. All are Life Like products.

1/87th scale Big Mike laments the loss of another Lehigh Valley caboose to the Penn Central while PC Ralph and Alco Joe console him while admiring the paint job.

For additional modeling tips for these Life Like cabooses and other PC scratch built caboose projects check out Ralph's Cabooses Thread on the Big Blue Forum.

Thanks for reading!!