Front cover sample (design subject to change)
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Western Pacific Caboose Cars by Michael Mucklin presents a journey through more than 70 years of caboose history on the Western Pacific Railroad. Thoroughly researched and heavily illustrated, including many rare, never before published photographs, this book is a must-have for all Western Pacific fans and modelers as well as anyone with an interest in western railroads or cabooses in general.
Filled with information on the history and operation of cabooses on the Feather River Route, this book begins with the earliest wood cupola cabooses and continues all the way through the railroad's timeline to the 1982 merger with the Union Pacific, then beyond to include examples of present day survivors and museum pieces.
Topics covered in Western Pacific Caboose Cars will include;
1906-era AC&F built wood cupola cabooses
1910-1931 built "Gould Standard" wood cupola cabooses
1937-1942 wood cupola cabooses built from 1916 era Pullman Standard box cars
1942-45 PS wood bay window cabooses built from 1916 era Pullman Standard box cars
Cabooses of WP subsidiary companies Sacramento Northern, Tidewater Southern and Central California Traction Co.
426 series cars, the first steel cabooses built by International Railway Car Co. for the WP in 1955-1956
461 series cars built in 1969
466 series cars built in 1973-1974
The final cabooses built for the WP in 1980, the 481 series and their similarity with SP C-50-9 cabooses of the same year
Repaints in the 1960s and 1970s
The 1979 revival of the Feather River Route medallion
Western Pacific 452, the test bed for the proposed S-2 caboose rehabilitation program
The 1980 S-2 steel caboose rehabilitation program
Post-merger reassignments on the Union Pacific Railroad
Today's surviving WP cabooses preserved for future generations
Back cover sample (design subject to change)
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Product Details:
Estimated Release:
Late 2009
Price:
TBA
Format:
Hardcover, casewrap
Page count:
TBA
Language:
English
Dimensions:
8.75 X 11"
ISBN:
TBA
This will be a very limited run. Special pre-release pricing will be announced well in advance of the official release of the book.
For more information, updates and announcements regarding this book, or if you have material you would like to contribute, please click here to contact the author. E-mail addresses are kept in strict confidence.
A portion of the proceeds from Western Pacific Caboose Cars will be donated to select preservation group(s) for the sole purpose of WP caboose preservation and restoration efforts
Material I am currently seeking:
1. Photos of wood WP cabooses, especially color images and early cars.
2. Photos of wood CCT, TS and SN cabooses, especially color images and early cars.
3. Constructors photos of any steel cars taken during the assembly process.
4. Images of 466 after being wrecked in 1979-1980.
5. Any images of steel caboose WP 458.
6. Any WP caboose paint/lettering diagrams.
If you have or know of where any of this material can be found, please contact me ASAP.