Tyco Ho Scale
Model railroad opinion ?
I'm planning my HO scale layout and at a local train show, I picked up a handful of rolling stock. Among them was an old Tyco UP caboose. I didn't notice that it had couplers mounted on the body instead of the trucks. Instead of trying to retrofit normal trucks and couplers onto it, I'm thinking of using it differently. What do you think? Themed diner (End of the Line)? Burned shell in a junkyard? Mobile office at a mine/quarry? Suggestions welcomed!
All those ideas are fine. I'm doing N scale and all of my freights have an end of train device, I call it a caboose. Anyway you can look around online and see what others are doing. Are running them on your trains? I've seen them used as police stations, billboards and yard offices. There was a yard office kit in HO that was around a few years ago, maybe it still is.
I would personally do this a little differently. A caboose with a second life is fairly typical on a layout. It's actually IMHO a little cliche. If you run cabooses I would put it at the end of siding with some ladders or workers around it. Like you said before, maybe they could be repairing fire damage or even putting new couplers on it.
My philosophy towards layout building is that the railroad runs through the world not that the world runs around the railroad, this means a higher ratio of scenery to track and more scenery that is in no way related to the railroad. It's easier to do in N than it is in HO due to the size constraints. This means no railroad themed businesses, hobby shops, or junkyards full of railroad stuff.
But that's just me, I haven't always been like that. I used to be a modular club. At train shows I have been known to take the overdone and do to the extreme. Like the time I had a whole tank battalion surrounding a blinking UFO or the six foot skyscrapers that dwarfed everyone's mountains, or the time when I had fire engines and ambulances already in place at a spot in the track prone to derailments or .....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22021033@N06/3490571797/
Here's a few out of service cabooses I've run across.
Just have fun, when you give it too much thought it quites being a hobby.
Slot Car Racing - 4 lanes of HO scale action!
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 HO HO SLOT CAR 55 FRONT ORING TIRES LOT O RINGS AURORA AFX TYCO TOMY $0.99 Time Remaining: 41m |
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 HO Scale 70 Ton 4 Bay Virginian Coal Hopper VGN 2610 By Tyco $4.25 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 1h 39m |
 HO TRAIN ENGIN ROCKY MOUNTAIN LINE AND CABOOSE RED ORANGE AND WHITE $9.99 Time Remaining: 3h 8m |
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 TYCO HO SCALE Electric Train FREIGHT CARS 50 BOX CAR RAIL BOX RB OX 10000 $1.99 Time Remaining: 3h 36m |
 TYCO HO SCALE ELECTRIC TRAIN FREIGHT CARS 50 STEEL BOX CAR SANTA FE ATSF 12079 $1.99 Time Remaining: 3h 36m |
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 TYCO HO SCALE ELECTRIC TRAIN FREIGHT CARS CABOOSE CLEMENTINE WITH BOX $1.99 Time Remaining: 3h 36m |
 vintage Tyco Town Blinking Traffic Light and Flourescent Streetlights new $6.99 Time Remaining: 3h 37m |
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 1975 TYCO TRACKSIDE SAND HOUSE HO SCALE KIT NO7763 NEW OLD STOCK $4.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 3h 42m |
 H1092 MOTOR SIDE PLATE FOR TYCO TRAIN MADE IN HONG KONG $11.99 Time Remaining: 19d 14h 42m Buy It Now for only: $11.99 Buy It Now |
 vintage Tyco Mobil Oil lighted Sign new $5.00 Time Remaining: 3h 42m |
 Tyco 83 Corvette slot car chrome black red VETTE runner $4.95 Time Remaining: 3h 45m |
 H1032 WHEELS ON 1 8 AXLE FOR TYCO DIESEL HONG KONG $5.99 Time Remaining: 10d 12h 52m Buy It Now for only: $5.99 Buy It Now |
 1975 TYCO SPEEDY ANDREWS REPAIR SHOP HO SCALE KIT NO7774 NEW OLD STOCK $10.51 (5 Bids) Time Remaining: 3h 48m |
 vintage Life Like Light Ups AP lighted sign new $5.00 Time Remaining: 3h 49m |
 Life Like Trains Operating Logging Mill 1970s vintage $9.99 Time Remaining: 18d 16h 46m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 Buy It Now |
 Tyco Lamborghini Countach slot car red $6.95 Time Remaining: 3h 51m |
 1975 TYCO INTERLOCKING TOWER HO SCALE KIT NO7773 NEW OLD STOCK $4.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 3h 52m |
 Tyco Popsicle Twin Treats boxcar $4.99 Time Remaining: 25d 12h 25m Buy It Now for only: $4.99 Buy It Now |
 1975 TYCO BARN SILO HO SCALE KIT NO7770 NEW OLD STOCK $7.61 (3 Bids) Time Remaining: 3h 57m |
 1975 TYCO SNAP TOGETHER WATER TOWER HO KIT NO7769 NEW OLD STOCK $4.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 4h 3m |
 DC2 OLDER TYCO HO LIGHTING ACCESSORY KIT MINT $4.75 Time Remaining: 28d 11h 11m Buy It Now for only: $4.75 Buy It Now |
 TOMY AFX TYCO AURORA A W LOOK LARGE LOT OF RUNNER BODIES WOW $18.03 (8 Bids) Time Remaining: 4h 12m |
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 Huge Pile of Tyco Track and Misc $25.00 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 4h 44m |
 TYCO LOT OF 5 FREIGHT CARS NEW HAVEN BURLINGTON RALSTON PURINA BOXED EX+ $8.00 Time Remaining: 25d 16h 43m Buy It Now for only: $8.00 Buy It Now |
 TOMY AFX TYCO AURORA A W LOOK AFX BLUE TIPPED DRAG ARM WOW $9.95 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 4h 53m |
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 MASSIVE LOT Ho Train Track CARS ENGINES BUILDINGS PIECES MORE TYCO ETC $135.00 Time Remaining: 27d 14h 12m Buy It Now for only: $135.00 Buy It Now |
 TOMY AFX TYCO AURORA A W LOOK AFX BLUE TIPPED DRAG ARM WOW $9.95 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 5h 1m |
 197Os HO 5 AHM Cars + Tracks + TYCO Bridge Trestle Set + Transformer MINT $59.00 Time Remaining: 5h 3m |
 2 GEARED DRIVE WHEEL SET H1033 FOR HONG KONG TYCO TRAIN $5.99 Time Remaining: 10d 12h 47m Buy It Now for only: $5.99 Buy It Now |
 tyco HO 1993 race track and car lot slot electric $13.63 (6 Bids) Time Remaining: 5h 4m |
 AURORA AFX TYCO CHAPARRAL SLOT CAR $8.99 Time Remaining: 5h 5m |
 137 BROADWAY TROLLEY CAR H0 tyco $9.50 Time Remaining: 6d 3h 58m Buy It Now for only: $9.50 Buy It Now |
 AURORA AFX TYCO INDY HONDA LOTUS ELF SLOT CAR $13.99 Time Remaining: 5h 5m |
 HO TYCO 50 PLUG DOOR BOX CAR NEW HAVEN LIGHTLY WEATHERED NICE $3.99 Time Remaining: 5h 27m |
 TYCO LOT OF 6 CABOOSES BOXED COMPLETE NICE LOOK $7.00 Time Remaining: 17d 18h 28m Buy It Now for only: $7.00 Buy It Now |
 Beautiful Set only Tyco 78 Blue Porsche Carrera really nice car unused $13.99 Time Remaining: 5h 41m Buy It Now for only: $24.99 Buy It Now | Bid now |
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 TYCO RH RIGHT SWITCH MANUAL TRACK 91 2 236 B NEW 413 $7.75 Time Remaining: 26d 10h 58m Buy It Now for only: $7.75 Buy It Now |
 HO HO SLOT CAR TYCO AURORA AFX LIFE LIKE GOODYEAR EAGLE REAL RUBBER TIRES $2.99 Time Remaining: 5h 46m |
 Very Rare Tyco HO Dale Earnhardt Wrangler 1983 t bird amazing $26.00 (5 Bids) Time Remaining: 5h 47m |
 HO SCALE COMPLETE RTR NOS PMI 50 FLAT W CONTAINERS PENNSY 469617 NIB 6712 $7.99 Time Remaining: 3d 18h 29m Buy It Now for only: $7.99 Buy It Now |
 HO HO SLOT CAR 55 FRONT TIRES LOT O RINGS AURORA AFX TYCO TOMYORINGS $0.99 Time Remaining: 5h 47m |
 HO HO SLOT CAR 10 PAIR OF O RINGS NEW SILICONE ORING FRONT TIRES AFX TOMY TYCO $0.99 Time Remaining: 5h 48m |
 Tyco Freight Unloading Box Car Remote Control No 930 $13.89 Time Remaining: 16d 8h 42m Buy It Now for only: $13.89 Buy It Now |
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