Rivarossi - 9370 - Caboose, Bay Window - Santa Fe - 999056

Model Information: This model of caboose was made for Atlas by Rivarossi and made its debut in the 1969 Atlas catalog. Unlike the "End Cupola" caboose, this model was never retooled for Chinese production and only 7 different versions were ever made by Atlas. Rivarossi continued to sell it under its own brand from 1977, retaining 4 of the Atlas road names and adding a new one. Moreover, in the mid-1990s, E-R Models did contract Rivarossi to re-introduce the model under the E-R name and 20 more versions were later produced. It is similar to Bay-Window cabooses made by Walthers, Micro-Trains and others. It can be distinguished from the other manufacturer's versions in that it has three windows in each body side, and 4 windows on each bay.

Prototype History: In a bay window caboose, the crew monitoring the train sits in the middle of the car in a section of wall that projects from the side of the caboose. The windows set into these extended walls resemble architectural bay windows, so the caboose type is called a bay window caboose. This type afforded a better view of the side of the train and eliminated the falling hazard of the cupola. The bay window gained favor with many railroads because it eliminated the need for additional clearances in tunnels and overpasses. On the west coast, the Milwaukee Road and the Northern Pacifc Railway used these cars, converting over 900 roof top cabooses to bay window cabooses in the late 1930's. Milwaukee Road rib-side window cabooses are preserved at New Libson, Wisconsin, the Illinois Railway Museum, the Mt. Rainer Scenic Railroad, and Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

When the shift was made from wooden to steel caboose construction, a new type of caboose also arrived. The new caboose design replaced the traditional roof-mounted “cupola” with “bay-windows” attached to the sides of the caboose. As freight cars grew taller, the effectiveness of cupolas as practical observation points was diminished. This was especially true on lines that suffered from low clearances and were incapable of making cupolas high enough to see over the top of the tallest freight cars. Cabooses were prone to rough handling, and many a trainman was knocked out of his perch in the cupola and injured when he fell. The new caboose design was safer as well as more effective.

Road Name History: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. Chartered in February 1859, the railroad reached the Kansas-Colorado border in 1873 and Pueblo, Colorado, in 1876. To create a demand for its services, the railroad set up real estate offices and sold farm land from the land grants that it was awarded by Congress. Despite the name, its main line never served Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the terrain was too difficult; the town ultimately was reached by a branch line from Lamy.

The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport, an enterprise that (at one time or another) included a tugboat fleet and an airline (the short-lived Santa Fe Skyway). Its bus line extended passenger transportation to areas not accessible by rail, and ferryboats on the San Francisco Bay allowed travelers to complete their westward journeys to the Pacific Ocean. The ATSF was the subject of a popular song, Harry Warren & Johnny Mercer's "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe", written for the film, The Harvey Girls (1946).

The railroad officially ceased operations on December 31, 1996, when it merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway.

Read more on Wikipedia.

Brand/Importer Information: Rivarossi was one of the world's most famous Italian manufacturers of model railways. Rivarossi was founded in 1945 by Alessandro Rossi with Antonio Riva. In the 1990s Rivarossi acquired Lima (1992), Arnold (1995) and Jouef (1996). In 2003, after several years of managerial and financial vicissitudes, Rivarossi ceased its activities.

In 2004 Hornby Railways plc acquired assets from Rivarossi, in particular the brands Arnold, Jouef, Rivarossi and Lima. Since 2006 products are sold again under these brand names, with product manufactured in China. For complete information, visit Rivarossi Memory (mostly in Italian with some sections available in English).