Bluford Shops N Bay Window Caboose Rock Island “Phase 4, Blue”

Description

Railroad Short Name: CRIP, RI

N scale models of a family of steel bay window caboose designs developed by International Car Company in the early 1950s. Over the years the design of the bay windows evolved and Bluford Shops is presenting four phases of these designs plus the iconic half-bay window edition. Ladders and running boards will be included on appropriate paint schemes for each version.

Features:

• magnetically operating knuckle couplers
• Fox Valley Models metal wheels
• wire grab irons, window “glass”
• plenty of weight
• Ladders and running boards will be included on appropriate paint schemes for each version

The Route Rock image was adopted by Rock Island as part of the reorganization following their 1975 bankruptcy. The company had last turned a profit in 1964, then became entangled in an aborted merger with Union Pacific. The merger failed due to Rock’s unique position straddling the St. Louis – Kansas City – Colorado Springs border that divided railroads of the northern plains states from the railroads of the southern plains states. A Rock Island merger would send a shock wave of traffic diversions through the middle third of the country and led to every railroad in the region to demand concessions. This combined with long delays for Federal approval caused merger talks to collapse. Rock Island closed for good in 1980 and this group of Phase IV cabooses was transferred to Union Pacific (who had paid for them and leased them to The Rock.)