Western Pacific Caboose Cars by Michael Mucklin will be an exclusive limited release in two volumes from Highline Press and will present 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, volume 1 will cover the earliest wood cupola cabooses through the composite cars and subsidiary roads (SN, TS, and CCT). Volume 2 starts with the first steel bay window cars built in 1955 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.

 
Volume 1 scheduled for release in 2010
Western Pacific Caboose Book - Front Cover

 

Topics covered in Western Pacific Caboose Cars will include;
1906-era AC&F built wood cupola cabooses and early hand-me-downs from the A&SJ and B&L 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 and 476 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

 

Western Pacific Caboose Book - Back Cover

 

Product Details:
Estimated Release: 2010
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 and others from Highline Press, 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