D&H "Pennsylvania Pusher" Caboose (1/160)

In 1942, the D&H built 10 cabooses, using the underframes and trucks from 40-foot double sheathed wooden boxcars, originally built by AC&F, in 1907.

D&H built them because they feared that if they used their new Challenger locomotives as pushers, behind their existing wood-framed cabooses, the force would destroy the caboose. The state of Pennsylvania had passed a law, limiting the power of locomotives used as pushers behind wood-framed cabooses, and D&H anticipated the need to use Challengers as rear-end pushers on the line north of Carbondale, PA

 

As it turned out, D&H ran mostly double articulated helpers (4-6-6-4s or 0-8-8-0 compounds) on this route, and cut them in ahead of the caboose. With only the 2-8-0 "Forest City Kicker" behind it, they could use the older wood-framed cabooses for this duty.

These steel-framed cabooses ran most of their careers on the Susquehanna Division (later known as the second subdivision) which often saw single Challengers used as pushers up Richmondville and Belden hills.

recommended parts

Trucks: BLMA 70-ton freight trucks

Couplers: Microtrains #2004

note: D&H equipped these cars with recycled freight trucks. These trucks had the normal coil springs replaced with leaf springs. I have included a tree of leaf springs that a modeler could use to kitbash these trucks, using the recommended BLMA parts. First remove the coil springs from the sideframe, then insert the leaf spring, with the wider flange at the bottom.