Central Vermont Caboose Models

PFM brass caboose painted and lettered  by Don Janes. Photos by Don Janes

Brass and F&C - CV Cabooses

built by Don Janes

If you follow the CV yahoo group posts you would have seen a flurry of posts a week ago regarding colours of CV cabooses. Don Janes was looking for the correct colours used during the 1950's. Well he got everything he needed and in short order completed his model plus touched up a few others. Don has allowed me to post some of his photos and the following is his comments about the process.

A comparison in colour and weathering of Don's brass model and a earlier built F&C kit. Models and photos by Don Janes.

"After compiling all the information I received about CV caboose colours, I buckled down and painted my PFM CV wood caboose.  But first I had to spend a lot of time with the resistance soldering unit to repair a lot of very poor solder joints including re-attaching three of the 4 steps and end ladders.  Everything is good and solid now.

I used Badger Modelflex CN #11 orange for the body and CN Lines CN#11 boxcar red for the under body.  The roof is Floquil Grimy Black.  CN Lines also has a nice CN #11 orange. While I was at it I repainted the bottoms of my two  F&C (Funaro & Camerlengo CV cabooses kits) CN #11 boxcar red.  These cars were painted with SP Daylight Orange some years ago before the CN #11 Orange came out.  It looks like a faded weather beaten orange which I guess is OK too.  I took a series of photos of my new caboose along with a couple of the older models.  I’m not weathering the brass CV caboose right now as I want to put it into my display case...Don Janes"

Don's F&C kit

Prototype CV caboose colours...the final consensus regarding the colour of the cabooses in the 1950's was black roof and roof walk, CNR orange similar to CN #11on the body and ends. The trucks, end platforms,  box and underframe are all boxcar red. This can be clearly seen in photos when freshly painted, but as time goes by they get dirty and some are really dirty. If one had painted the areas mentioned as boxcar red in grimy black paint, not to worry, the heavy weathering as time passes makes the under body appear that colour anyway. Maybe a light coat of CN boxcar red dusted over the black would make one feel better about the final appearance also...George Dutka

PFM brass caboose model freshly out of the shop. Don Janes model and photo.