CPR Cabooses used in New England




CPR RS-10  8575 is running caboose hop through New Haven,VT with van 437436...Don Janes photos



CPR's New England Caboose
Models
by Don Janes

Over the years the Canadian Pacific used several different styles of cabooses in its New England operation.  They ranged from the early wood cabooses built in the 1920's and earlier to the first steel cabooses  built in their own Angus Shops  in Montreal in the late 1940's and early 1950's to the modern steel wide vision cabooses that were painted bright yellow with the large multi-mark on the end showing off CPR's new image of the late 1960's.  These modern cars were built between 1972 and 1981 in CP's Angus Shops in Montreal and were used right up until the CPR ended its New England operation.       

I have always like collecting models of cabooses that ran on the various railroads in New England.   One of the railroads I model is the CPR and I have four different styles of cabooses that ran on their lines into Vermont.  To represent the older wooden cabooses I have a brass model from Van Hobbies,  a resin model built from a Norwest Models kit and several plastic models from Trueline Trains.  The 1940's and 1950's steel cabooses are Overland Models and Van Hobbies brass models produced several years ago.  These include a 35 foot end cupola  version and a 40 foot slanted streamlined centred cupola car.   I still need to find an Overland Models 40 foot caboose with a standard centred Cupola in the 437495-437499 series. One of these cars, the 437497 was the regular caboose on the "Scoot" in CPR's Maine operation.  I'll have to keep watching E-Bay and going to swap meets for that one.  Even though I model the 1950's I bought a Rapido modern CPR wide vision caboose for my collection.  

  


CPR 436377 is a brass Van Hobbies model that came out many years ago.

 


Here the 436377 is ducking into Hoosac Tunnel on the Green Mountain Division

 



CPR 437265 is a Norwest  Models resin kit of a CPR wooden caboose



 



CPR 437368 is an example of an early 35 foot steel caboose built in CP's Angus shops in 1949.  This is a Van Hobbies brass model and is sitting on the WRJ caboose track.

 





CPR 437436 is an Overland brass import.  It is a model of a 1953 built 40 foot streamlined centre cupola caboose.

 


CPR wide vision van 434479 has just arrived WRJ from Montreal and now the train will be handed over to the B&M

   As you can see from the model photos it is possible to represent many of the styles of cabooses used by the CPR in New England.  Some are still currently available while other will require a little searching for but are out there... Don Janes